2 September 2019 - Cancer patients and treatment advocates are crying out for much more radical change, saying the government's new plan does not go far enough and the funding boost is just a drop in the ocean.

The government announced details of its long-promised strategy yesterday, including the establishment of a national Cancer Control Agency - as well as an extra $60 million for government drug-buying agency Pharmac over the next two years.

It was so long coming the eventual announcement came as rather a relief - and the headlines were mostly positive - but with time to digest the details, concerns are now rising to the surface.

Lung Foundation chief executive Philip Hope said the new funding was a mere drop in the ocean, and he worried it was a sign the policy makers did not understand the importance of new medicines.

Read Radio New Zealand article