BCAC recently met with MPs from across the political spectrum to deliver a strong message about measures needed to improve breast cancer care in New Zealand.
The BCAC team met with the Minister of Health, Hon. Tony Ryall, Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew and Health Select committee member Dr Jackie Blue, as well as the Labour and Green Health spokespeople, the Hon. Maryan Street and Hon. Kevin Hague.
BCAC chair Libby Burgess says they had a positive meeting with the Minister of Health and his team. Mr Ryall was responsive to the messages BCAC conveyed and expressed a desire to do more to improve the delivery of cancer services.
In its briefing to politicians this year, BCAC focused on treatments which are often not seen as part of the core cancer treatment programme, such as:
• psychosocial care
• lymphoedema care
• fertility treatment
• breast reconstruction surgery.
Libby says these treatments can be crucial to the health and wellbeing of women with breast cancer and can make a massive difference to a woman’s quality of life.
“We know that if women don’t get the psychological help they need to cope with a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment that they can go on to suffer from clinical depression and that this can worsen physical symptoms. For this reason it’s vital that breast cancer patients can easily access the psychological help they need and sadly that’s not the case in many places around New Zealand.”
Libby says lymphoedema services are similarly patchy across the country and delayed breast reconstruction surgery is often not available for many women.
“These services should be recognised as a key part of the breast cancer treatment programme. We’ve asked the Minister of Health to require District Health Boards to offer these necessary elements of care to their breast cancer patients.”
BCAC also asked the Minister of Health to fund fertility treatment, involving freezing eggs or embryos, for young women with breast cancer. This would be a minimal cost for the Government, but would make a dramatic difference in the lives of the 150 women under 40 who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
BCAC also addressed the Minister of Health and other politicians on matters including:
• changes to PHARMAC’s policies and procedures to make them more transparent, timely and open to review as well as allowing greater input from expert doctors and patient groups
• the ongoing collection and storage of detailed breast cancer data
• better quality assurance for pathology and receptor testing
• the full implementation of 12 months Herceptin treatment as the standard of care for those with early HER2 positive breast cancer.
Libby says BCAC also applauded efforts the Government has made to improve cancer treatment for New Zealanders.
Highlights include:
• introducing a four week waiting target for radiotherapy and chemotherapy
• funding new positions for nurses to coordinate care and support for cancer patients
• addressing staffing and resourcing issues in oncology through the Medical Oncology Implementation Plan
• initiating National Working Group to define best practice standards of care for each of the major cancer types
• establishing a National Cancer Consumer Representative Advisory Group.
Says Libby, “These are all very positive moves and we’d like to recognise the real difference they will make in the lives of New Zealanders with cancer. We’d love to see more along these lines.”
You can read BCAC’s full submission to the submission to the Minister of Health and others here.
