Drop In The Bucket For Government But Kick In The Guts For Kiwi Men

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will continue the fight to save men’s lives after the Budget failed to fund an early detection pilot for prostate cancer.'

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will continue the fight to save men’s lives after the Budget failed to fund an early detection pilot for prostate cancer.

President Danny Bedingfield said “we have been talking to the last government and now the new government for the last two years on funding two regional pilots for early detection screening of prostate cancer at an approximate cost of only $6.4 million over four years.

“Everyone acknowledges that the sooner cancer is detected, the better clinical outcomes. We just have two questions for the government - is cancer that is specific to men not important? And what is the barrier to a prostate cancer screening pilot?

“Over 4,000 dads, husbands, sons and brothers are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 700 die of the disease every year. We think these lives matter.

“We are at a loss as to why cancer specific to men doesn’t seem to rate with either the last government, or now this new government. Prostate cancer screening is seen as inevitable by health officials and is supported by New Zealand’s Urological Society.

“While the pilot was not funded in the Budget, we remain hopeful that money can be found by reprioritising a tiny part of the $30 billion vote health spending will get it underway.

“In addition to putting miniscule funding into the proposed early detection pilots, our Health Minister should also accept an invitation from Europe to a join a useful world leading cancer study – the Praise–U consortium,” Bedingfield said.

“This is a world-leading initiative that aims to enhance the ability for early detection of men with prostate cancer so they can access early treatment to reduce unnecessary early deaths,” Bedingfield says.

“However, after today, we are left wondering if men’s health is important,” Bedingfield concluded.

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