Media Release
21 June 2006
Cancer Treatment Delays Shameful
Cancer sufferers in this country appear to have almost as much to fear from the effects of bureaucracy as they do from
the disease itself says New Zealand First’s health spokesperson Barbara Stewart.
“Wellington’s low dose brachytherapy machine was scrapped in September last year. On 9 May, in reply to a written
question the Minister of Health said that the service would recommence when Capital and Coast District Health Board
received confirmation of the agreement of all district health boards to fund high dose rate brachytherapy and agreed a
business case for its introduction.
“Seemingly a fairly straightforward process and one which should have been expedited to ensure that the welfare of
cancer patients was paramount at a time in their lives when the last thing they need is the stress of having to travel
to obtain treatment.
“However that is not taking into account the almost unbelievable ability of the health bureaucracy to avoid decision
making.
“The Health Ministry’s grandly titled Cancer Control Principal Adviser is reported as saying that the service has been
delayed because it had taken time for the dhbs which would be sending patients to the service to agree how it would be
funded and supported. Equally gob smacking is the statement by the chief operating officer of Capital and Coast that a
group is being set up to make a plan for buying, locating and running the equipment.
“It is a cause for shame for all those involved that they are still dithering about providing equipment to treat people
whose lives are at stake. It is also unbelievable that the Minister can off load responsibility for this sort of debacle
and get away with it. We like to think of ourselves as a first world country but we clearly have a way to go yet,” said
Mrs Stewart.
ENDS