Posted by Michael Wonder on 13 Dec 2018
Frustrated at cancer treatment inequity
13 December 2018 - As appointed ambassador for the Lung Foundation NZ, I feel very frustrated the Government will not help lung cancer sufferers and their families by funding break-through drugs that can extend the lives of New Zealand’s most vulnerable patients.
The road toll last year was 380, its highest since 2009. Yet lung cancer kills over 1800 New Zealanders each year (more than four times the road toll). There are 2300 new cases of lung cancer every year (the majority are identified late).
The inequity of access to modern treatments has created a two-tier health system, whereby only a small percentage of patients are able to pay $8500 every three weeks to access treatments like Keytruda.
