More cancer patients fly to Australia

By KEVIN TAYLOR

Eleven Waikato cancer patients will fly to Australia for radiotherapy at a cost of more than $100,000, joining a Tauranga woman already being treated there.

The patients have asked to go to Australia as Waikato Hospital struggles with lengthening radiotherapy waiting lists while a new machine is installed.

Other New Zealand radiotherapy units cannot take up the slack, as they also have full waiting lists.

A 44-year-old Tauranga nurse started radiotherapy at a private Brisbane hospital on Monday.

She is the first taxpayer-funded cancer patient health officials can recall who has gone to Australia for radiotherapy.

The woman had breast cancer surgery two months ago and will have six to seven weeks of treatment in Brisbane.

She said she would rather have been at Waikato Hospital, and her family had had to bear extra costs, including phone calls and airfares.

Health Waikato community services manager Robin Steed said the hospital was making all the travel, treatment and accommodation arrangements for the 11 other patients. Treatment and accommodation would cost about $10,000 for each patient.

The recommended maximum waiting time for radiotherapy is four weeks but 141 patients had now waited longer in the Waikato.

A Health Funding Authority spokeswoman denied the situation was a crisis.

"If Australia was not an option these people would not get timely treatment.

"People need treating and capacity in any service can get stretched at times."

New Zealand Cancer Society acting chief executive Roger Taylor said he was unhappy patients had to fly to Australia, but he recognised that it was necessary.

He said one of the major problems was a shortage of radiation therapists.

National health spokesman Wyatt Creech said New Zealand should have the capacity to treat cancer patients here. He said Labour had breached one of its "credit card" promises by not reducing the cancer waiting list.

Health Minister Annette King denied radiotherapy services in New Zealand were in crisis.

She said last night that there were few options but to send patients to Australia.

The only way to overcome the problem was to invest in skilled staff and equipment.