Doctor laments lack of money for cancer

A drug-funding crisis is cutting short the lives of cancer patients, says a Hawkes Bay oncologist.

Speaking from Palmerston North Hospital, Dr Simon Allan said New Zealand fell woefully short in treatment for cancer patients. Oncologists could not offer them the drugs they needed because there was too little money.

"New Zealand now falls below Greece and Turkey in terms of its ability to prescribe cancer treatments. It shows just how low we have sunk in the treatment of cancer," Dr Allan said.

"We have a problem because our patients know about new treatments but we haven't got the ability to prescribe them."

But the drugs were available for those who could pay.

Dr Allan said he had a number of patients paying up to $100,000 for new drugs. "We have a two-tier health system - and nothing has changed in the last six years."

There were no signs of change despite a new Government, he said.

"The Labour Government has not altered the authoritative control of hospitals and there are no signs it will."

Dr Allan was highly critical of the Government's proposed health strategy, which highlights the impact and incidence of cancer in the country, but does not mention treatment.

"Overseas, new drugs are used for modest improvements in outcome - and that's thought of as standard. In New Zealand, the choice has gone in the treatment of cancer - except for those who have money."

Dr Allan said the treatments available outstripped the Health Funding Authority's budget.

"We are already in deficit with our budget this year."

He said oncologists did not want to make decisions over who got treatment. Rather, society needed to think about that. "We are talking about people."

Hospitals were funded about $3000 a patient for a chemotherapy treatment session. The drugs alone often cost at least $3000, he said.

An authority spokesman said it had drug-inclusive contracts for cancer treatment with hospitals and health services.

This meant the decision about the drug used for a patient was made by hospital specialists and weighed against other options such as radiotherapy, he said.

The authority wanted to ensure equity of access to cancer drugs nationwide, he said, and was working with the Ministry of Health and a medical oncology working party to resolve issues associated with expensive drugs.

- NZPA