Annette King
MP for Rongotai
Health Spokesperson
MEDIA STATEMENT

13 October 2016

Breast cancer drugs should be available

Labour supports the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition’s campaign for better access to cancer treatments as more patients are denied what is freely available in Australia, says Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King.

“In the last three years, PHARMAC’s funding has been virtually frozen. PHARMAC needed $103 million of new funding this year to get back to where it was in 2011 before National’s funding freeze. It got only half that amount.

“Labour will fund PHARMAC consistently so that it can provide access to a wider range of drugs.

“Patients like Rochell Adams and Tamara Malone, who are suffering from breast cancer, deserve a lot better from the Government than this piece-meal approach to funding.

“We are currently hearing stories of people having to sell or mortgage their homes to access treatments that are available in Australia but not here.

“Labour will also fund an early access scheme for medicines so that New Zealanders can access life-saving drugs when there is no funded alternative available,” says Annette King.

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