Pressure on the Government to make good on its promise to fund 13 new cancer drugs
Pressure on the Government to make good on its promise to fund 13 new cancer drugs
3 June 2024
National campaigned on spending 280-million-dollars for those treatments in last year's election, but it wasn't included in the Budget.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis told TVNZ's Q and A they're expecting to make a policy announcement on it very soon.
Prostate Cancer Foundation President Danny Bedingfield says lives are at stake.
He says a lot of men living with prostate cancer who've been diagnosed at a later stage really need these drugs.
Health Minister Shane Reti told Newstalk ZB he's sorry about the uncertainty it's causing cancer patients and their families.
However, he says it was always dependent on bringing back the prescription co-payment, so expects to collaborate with Pharmac in about a year's time.
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