Health system ‘won’t fund’ dad’s $2,000 a week cancer treatment, despite free heart transplant

PBAC

17 September 2015 - Vincert Keppler survived a heart transplant he received for free but now he has a rare cancer our health system won’t fund the $2,000 a week treatment he needs to save his life.

“My wife would sell the house in a heartbeat, I think the decision is down to me or a future for the kids,” the 47-year-old father of two told News Corp Australia.

A Senate Committee into high cost cancer treatments that reported yesterday won’t help Vincent who may have as little as six months to live.

After hearing that it can take over one and a half years to get a subsidy for new cancer medicines under Australia’s system it has called only for another review.

It wants a comprehensive review of the system for the registration and subsidisation of medicines that will look at whether our system could fast track subsidies by relying on drug assessments carried out overseas.

For more details, go to: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-system-wont-fund-dads2000-a-week-cancer-treatment-despite-free-heart-transplant/story-fneuzlbd-1227532368021

Michael Wonder

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Michael Wonder

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Cancer , Medicine , Review , Reimbursement