National Party leader Simon Bridges is expected to come out in support of a national cancer agency today. Photo / Mark Mitchell
National Party leader Simon Bridges is expected to come out in support of a national cancer agency today. Photo / Mark Mitchell
National leader Simon Bridges is expected to announce the party's support for a national cancer agency at the party's annual conference today.
The agency would be tasked with improving the current system, which has been heavily criticised as a post-code lottery where treatment depends on where you live.
Bridges signalledhis support for a national agency when he accepted Southland dad Blair Vining's petition at Parliament on Thursday before it was referred to the health committee.
Bridges would not commit to setting up an agency, but he invited Vining, who has bowel cancer, and his wife Melissa to National's conference today for his keynote announcement.
Dr Chris Jackson, medical director for the Cancer Society of New Zealand, said if New Zealand had the cancer survival rate of Australia, 2500 fewer people would die over five years.
"If National are now committing to strong, central leadership, we would welcome that very strongly, and that would show cross-party support for expert-led, national leadership."
The Government is also expecting to announce its cancer care plan soon. Health Minister David Clark has expressed reservations about a national agency, even though it was in Labour's 2017 election manifesto.
About 9500 people die from cancer and more than 22,000 are diagnosed every year.
Jackson said the current system, developed over the last 10 to 15 years, was a "post-code lottery".
"Waiting times to see specialists vary wildly around the country. Access to genetic testing varies wildly around the country. The type of radiation treatment you get, even the types of operations, can vary wildly, depending on where you are around the country."
The result was that people had died when they shouldn't have, he said.
Cancer sufferer Blair Vining with, left to right, 12-year-old daughter Lilly, his wife Melissa, and 17-year-old daughter Della-May. Photo / Supplied
The key aspects of a new model were central leadership, accountability, and being led by experts free from political interference.
"When you have cancer care under the watch of politicians, things go in political cycles and you don't get the long-term strategic planning that you need.
"The bowel-cancer screening programme, the experts said it should have been done much quicker with a much higher investment, and politicians didn't want to invest the money."
Melissa Vining said Blair's cancer had spread to his hips, spine and pelvis, and they were unable to travel to Christchurch for today's announcement.
"He's not doing so well but he's really positive. He keeps saying he's going to hang around until the job's done. We're hoping he's here to see some change and that all the people who have suffered, it hasn't been for nothing."
She said a national agency that ensured consistent treatment across the country would have allowed Blair Vining, a father of two, to get treatment earlier.
"If we had lived in Auckland, Blair would have been seen in a week to 10 days. Instead we were given a letter that said six weeks and a phone call that said six to eight weeks."
She said his drug treatment might cost less than $3500 a week, and he may not have had to wait up to 12 weeks for radiation treatment.
"You shouldn't be penalised by where you live. You should be able to access good cancer care when you need it."
She would welcome National supporting an agency, but it would depend on how much money it would get and whether it would be independent from the Ministry of Health, which she said had so far done a poor job.
"We will want to see the details. We don't want to get our hopes up. It's been a long fight so far."
The Government has put about $6.4 billion more into health over the last two budgets, but it is unclear how much of that is for cancer care.
Health Minister David Clark has been criticised for the lack of a national cancer agency. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Jackson said that National had thrown out the previous form of central control, the cancer control council.
"They had cancer targets, but they only applied to 15 per cent of cancer patients and lacked serious investment. If they announce a national agency, it would be pleasing to see they've seen the error of their ways."
He said it would be great if the Government had already announced its cancer plan, but it was better to be "right rather than rushed".
"As a practising oncologist who sees patients everyday who can't get the care they need, I absolutely want things to be moving as quickly as humanly possible.
