The New South Wales government will spend $26 million to boost breast cancer screening, with some of the money earmarked for five mobile vans that will travel around the state.

The extra money will also pay for new digital mammography equipment in a number of urban and regional centres.

Shadow women's minister Pru Goward and opposition leader Barry O'Farrell say the announcement is a welcome one - but it is also long overdue.

The pair say breast screening rates have fallen by 12 percent under Morris Iemma as premier and a health minister.

"The NSW Coalition will always welcome boosts in resources to fight cancer, especially in regional areas, but the Iemma government has failed to ensure facilities have matched growth," Mr O'Farrell said.

"There is no excuse for Morris Iemma to allow breast screening numbers to fall by 12 percent under his watch."

"NSW has gone from first nationally in terms of breast screening participation rates to second last. These additional resources are long overdue and will hopefully see a rise in the number of women being screened."

Ms Goward said the additional screening facilities should have been brought in much earlier.

"(They) should have been introduced as soon as the Iemma government realised NSW was falling behind the other states," she said.

"The Iemma Labor Government (also) needs to adequately fund the Cancer Institute to allow an ongoing awareness and educational campaign to make women aware of the risks of breast cancer."

"It needs to know which age groups, income, ethnic groups and regions have low screening rates and devise campaigns targeting these groups."

One in nine women in New South Wales will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.