Health Minister Jerome Kennedy announced spending on colon cancer screening. (CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador's government is promising to spend $240,000 this year to set up a provincial colon cancer screening program.

The first phase of the program, which will be administered by the province's largest health authority, Eastern Health, will be set up in a part of the province that wasn't disclosed by government officials today.

The program will expand to other areas, and eventually will cover the whole province.

It will target men and women in the province between the ages of 50 and 74. They will be sent a stool sample kit that will help them determine who is eligible for further testing such as colonoscopy.

"It's called a Fecal Ocult Blood Test and it's able to be done in your own home. We will be sending two thousand of those out to individuals. From there we will be able to make a better diagnosis and a quicker diagnosis," said Eastern Health CEO Vickie Kaminski.

The health minister said the provincial government will spend more than $4 million over three years to develop a province-wide colorectal screening program.

"Our government recognizes the importance of implementing programs that increase the early detection of all types of cancer, including colorectal cancer," said Jerome Kennedy, at a news conference in St. John's Friday.

"We understand that detecting cancer early remains the best strategy for improving survival and increasing the quality of life for those living with cancer."

He said that when the program is fully established, it will cost $3 million annually to operate.