Christchurch Cancer Foundation warns survival rates 'disgraceful', wants purpose-built facility

The Christchurch Cancer Foundation wants to build a purpose-built cancer facility in the city.

The Canterbury DHB has been told cancer survival rates were "disgraceful" and better care was needed.

The Christchurch Cancer Foundation wants to build a purpose-built cancer facility in the city to offer better treatment, facilitate research, provide education, and offer support to those affected.

Today, it pitched its Southern Comprehensive Cancer Centre to the DHB, which owns the land it wanted to build it on.

The proposed centre would be 40,000-45,000sq m, and the Christchurch Cancer Foundation wanted it to be funded by the Government.

Foundation trustee Bryan Pearson said cancer sufferers in New Zealand had the right to world-class levels of treatment and care.

"This is not our current reality," he told the DHB.

Pearson described survival statistics as "disgraceful", with cancer being the number one cause of death in New Zealand.

One in three deaths every year was due to cancer, he said.

Bryan Pearson. Photo / Supplied

Māori were disproportionately affected and were 20 per cent more likely to get cancer and twice as likely to die.

The foundation said a centre also needed to be established to attract clinicians.

"We are falling behind – and it will get much worse," said Pearson.

"We will lose out in the global talent war."

Foundation chair and leading colorectal surgeon Frank Frizelle said currently there were
"little bits of treatment all over the place".

"We need a beacon."

However, the plan would require changes to plans for a block of land owned by DHB bounded by Hagley Ave, St Asaph St, Antigua St, and Tuam St, with the biggest change being the need to move a recently announced new car parking building.

Staff and patients at the hospital had been calling for more car parks for years following assaults on staff who often had to park some distance away for early morning or late shifts.

The foundation believed the car park could be easily moved to another location on the site.

Funding also needed to be sourced.

The foundation had sought a meeting with the Crown but that had proved difficult due to changing health ministers and the election.

But Frizelle said cancer treatment waiting lists were only going to get longer.

"What we need in this part of the world is something to deliver better care."