Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ryall Tony: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:635;Page:6409] 
1. Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Are cancer patients getting appropriate timely access to radiotherapy treatment; if not why not? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) 
: 
 As the House will be aware radiotherapy treatment has been delayed in a number of centres. Multiple pressures have led to delays including the pressure brought by industrial action. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What is the latest information he has on the number of category C cancer patients—these are mainly people with breast cancer or prostate cancer—who have been waiting more than 8 weeks for radiation treatment which is twice the recommended guideline according to the Cancer Society? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I have the information of the number of patients who have gone to Australia in recent times. I understand that about 20 patients have gone to Australia and a further 13 are likely to go next week. 
Ann Hartley 
: What reports has the Minister received on survival data of New Zealand breast cancer patients? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I have seen reports that New Zealand’s 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is higher than the average rate of nine OECD nations studied by the Commonwealth Fund and better than the rates of Australia the United Kingdom Japan France and Germany. This is a testament mostly to the quality of cancer treatment services in New Zealand. However the Government believes that our investment in breast screening will see our overall mortality rate improve still further. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Is the Minister aware that the number of cancer patients waiting longer than 8 weeks for radiation treatment is now the highest it has been since the middle of the 2004 cancer treatment crisis and what is he doing to help the many cancer patients now facing an uncertain and worrying period of up to 3 months to begin their radiation treatment? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: It is important to realise that any patient with cancer in category A or category B is receiving his or her treatment within what is known as a good practice framework. However some category C patients in Auckland and prospectively in time to come in Wellington may be offered treatment in Australia because of the waiting-time extensions. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: If the Minister is blaming industrial action by radiotherapists for the growing delays why has he not done anything to end the industrial action; and is he oblivious to the fact that patients have been contacted by the MidCentral District Health Board to be offered treatment in Australia and that a woman has been offered treatment in Australia between Christmas and New Year which means she will be away from her children and grandchildren or face receiving radiation treatment in the middle of February—14 weeks away? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I am aware that the MidCentral District Health Board is reviewing its situation weekly and is considering offering treatment to five patients to go to Australia. That is the sum of my information. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Now that the Minister is aware that the number of patients waiting more than 8 weeks to receive their radiation treatment is now the highest it has been since the middle of the 2004 radiation treatment crisis is it not time that the Government gave to all people facing a wait of over 8 weeks for radiation treatment the opportunity to get their treatment in Australia or is he happy to sit by and let these people face an uncertain and worrying future? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: There are six district health boards in New Zealand that provide radiotherapy treatment for cancer. Each of them is in a different situation. One of them has already indicated that it will—in fact has—offered treatment for patients to go to Australia. It seems to me that Capital and Coast District Health Board may well join that list as indeed may MidCentral District Health Board. These are district health board by district health board decisions and I am satisfied that they are taken with appropriate clinical safety for New Zealanders in mind. 
Dr Jackie Blue 
: If the Minister agrees that there is a link between escalating radiotherapy cancer waiting times and industrial strikes why when we are in the middle of a 9-day strike with the promise of more to follow has he done absolutely nothing but is content to sit back and watch the situation deteriorate? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: We are in the middle of a 9-day strike for medical radiation technologists or radiographers as the member will know. These are medical radiation technologists; the primary question was about radiotherapy—that is to say not about diagnosis but about treatment.