1. Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Are cancer patients getting appropriate timely access to radiotherapy treatment; if not, why not?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
As the House will be aware, radiotherapy treatment has been delayed in a number of centres. Multiple pressures have led to delays, including the pressure brought by industrial action.
What is the latest information he has on the number of category C cancer patients—these are mainly people with breast cancer or prostate cancer—who have been waiting more than 8 weeks for radiation treatment, which is twice the recommended guideline according to the Cancer Society?
I have the information of the number of patients who have gone to Australia in recent times. I understand that about 20 patients have gone to Australia and a further 13 are likely to go next week.
Ann HartleyI have seen reports that New Zealand’s 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is higher than the average rate of nine OECD nations studied by the Commonwealth Fund and better than the rates of Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and Germany. This is a testament mostly to the quality of cancer treatment services in New Zealand. However, the Government believes that our investment in breast screening will see our overall mortality rate improve still further.
Is the Minister aware that the number of cancer patients waiting longer than 8 weeks for radiation treatment is now the highest it has been since the middle of the 2004 cancer treatment crisis, and what is he doing to help the many cancer patients now facing an uncertain and worrying period of up to 3 months to begin their radiation treatment?
It is important to realise that any patient with cancer in category A or category B is receiving his or her treatment within what is known as a good practice framework. However, some category C patients in Auckland, and prospectively, in time to come, in Wellington, may be offered treatment in Australia, because of the waiting-time extensions.
If the Minister is blaming industrial action by radiotherapists for the growing delays, why has he not done anything to end the industrial action; and is he oblivious to the fact that patients have been contacted by the MidCentral District Health Board to be offered treatment in Australia, and that a woman has been offered treatment in Australia between Christmas and New Year, which means she will be away from her children and grandchildren, or face receiving radiation treatment in the middle of February—14 weeks away?
I am aware that the MidCentral District Health Board is reviewing its situation weekly and is considering offering treatment to five patients to go to Australia. That is the sum of my information.
Now that the Minister is aware that the number of patients waiting more than 8 weeks to receive their radiation treatment is now the highest it has been since the middle of the 2004 radiation treatment crisis, is it not time that the Government gave to all people facing a wait of over 8 weeks for radiation treatment the opportunity to get their treatment in Australia, or is he happy to sit by and let these people face an uncertain and worrying future?
There are six district health boards in New Zealand that provide radiotherapy treatment for cancer. Each of them is in a different situation. One of them has already indicated that it will—in fact, has—offered treatment for patients to go to Australia. It seems to me that Capital and Coast District Health Board may well join that list, as indeed may MidCentral District Health Board. These are district health board by district health board decisions, and I am satisfied that they are taken with appropriate clinical safety for New Zealanders in mind.
Dr Jackie BlueIf the Minister agrees that there is a link between escalating radiotherapy cancer waiting times and industrial strikes, why, when we are in the middle of a 9-day strike, with the promise of more to follow, has he done absolutely nothing but is content to sit back and watch the situation deteriorate?