4. RAHUI KATENE (Māori Party—Te Tai Tonga) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What action, if any, has been taken in light of the study Ethnicity and Management of Colon Cancer in New Zealand: Do Indigenous Patients Get a Worse Deal?, which concluded that Māori New Zealanders with colon cancer were less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy and experienced a lower quality of care compared with non-Māori patients?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
The study the member refers to was published in July last year and was based on data from 1996 to 2003. The study is, however, consistent with many earlier reports that show that access to cancer treatment for all needs to be improved further. The issues raised in the study were incorporated in the planning and design of the Government’s $24 million bowel cancer screening programme announced last year, which is being piloted by the Waitematā District Health Board.
What explanation can be given for the fact that Māori were more likely to die during their post-operative period, significantly less likely to receive chemotherapy for stage III disease, and more likely to experience a delay of at least 8 weeks before starting chemotherapy?
There is a complex range of contributing factors and a range of opinions as to the relative weighting of those factors—for example, socio-economic factors, and the proximity of treatment services. What I can say specifically on chemotherapy is that treatment times are now being much more actively monitored, and I am advised the latest data shows that no one has needed to wait more than 6 weeks to start chemotherapy, and most started within 4 weeks. That is a significant improvement from the time the survey was taken.
Does the Minister agree with the article published in 2010 that attention to health system factors is needed to ensure equal access and quality of cancer treatment for indigenous and ethnic minority populations; if so, what is he doing to address these factors?
I think there certainly is a need to improve the services, as just stated by the member—indeed, for all patients. That is one of the reasons why the Government is investing $24 million in a bowel cancer screening programme. The Waitematā project will include 7,000 Māori in the pilot population. I can also advise the member that Pharmac has widened access to two additional drugs for bowel cancer: octreotide in July 2010, and capecitabine in October 2010.