Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Extent of cancer waiting lists revealed

Wyatt Creech National Health Spokesperson

Wednesday 15 November 2000

Extent of cancer waiting lists revealed

Cancer waiting lists have ballooned ten-fold in some cases since the Labour Government came to power, National Health spokesperson Wyatt Creech revealed today.

"The extent of the waiting lists for cancer treatment is shocking. The Health Minister must explain why waiting lists have been left to blow out and what action she has taken to fix them.

"I am releasing figures today showing the number of people waiting for cancer treatment has sky-rocketed in the past 11 months.

"This growth in numbers has happened despite Annette King's constant claim on the hustings that she would cut waiting lists.

"We've heard the stories about people having to go to Australia for cancer treatment - but these figures reveal how bad the problem is.

"In Auckland the number of people waiting for more than 6 weeks for radiation treatment was just 18 in November last year - and now 69 people have to wait that long. That's a 250% increase.

"And last year 70% of people starting treatment in Auckland got it on time. That's dropped to just 40% today.

"In the Waikato only 4 people were waiting more than 6 weeks for treatment - under Labour there's 27 people waiting - a 575% increase.

"In Christchurch 2 were waiting in 1999 and now 24 are - that's a more than ten -fold increase.

"In Wellington there's been a big increase in the number of people waiting 4-6 weeks for care. The number waiting is up from 1 to 31.

"Helen Clark and Annette King made a solemn pledge to cut waiting lists. These figures make a complete mockery of that pledge. The Health Minister must explain to the patients and their families, and the rest of New Zealand why she has let these waiting lists blow out," Mr Creech said.

Ends


Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.