There is no doubt that this government has been shamed into funding more cancer treatments by the opposition. They promised that they would fund cancer drugs during their election campaign, but we all know how hollow those election promises were. Now, as a result of National’s excellent proposals on cancer drugs and treatments, the government has finally done something. But not much.
I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but was that it? Really?
The Government has announced $20 million in extra funding this year and $40m extra next year.
Seriously?
Let me give you some perspective, we spend about $1 billion on drugs through Pharmac who, until yesterday, had a world-class model – but that was a blatant lie and politicians could no longer keep a straight face saying it.
So Pharmac gets a much-needed shake-up. I say people power overpowered the Government on this and finally Pharmac will be touched up.
Yes, I would agree with that. I agree that the government was shamed into funding more cancer drugs, but personally, I don’t care. I never wanted cancer patients to be a political football; they don’t deserve that. I am appalled that the government had to be shamed into funding cancer drugs, but I am glad that they are finally doing it.
Sort of.
Truth is $60 million over two years for new drugs is piddly, it’s actually disappointing. Pharmac needs to double its budget from $1 billion to $2 billion if we are going to see a real change.
As a country we have tumbled embarrassingly down the list of how much we spend on drugs. Until recent moves, New Zealand funded just one new breast cancer drug in the past 10 years. Australia has funded the top three, and saved lives.
No wonder 30 Kiwi women die every month from breast cancer – one each day – who will it be today?
Didn’t we think we were a first world country? Are we?
This is just the start. You’ve got to make some noise. Do not settle for this drop in the ocean funding increase and somehow be grateful. Bugger it.
We pay too much tax to accept average and why should we play second fiddle to Australia on life expectancy? Don’t rest up – demand Pharmac double its medicine budget, write to Jacinda Ardern, make your voice heard and count.
Newshub
I know I keep saying it, but the government has been shamed into this, and I just don’t know why. Don’t cancer sufferers vote? Don’t their families and friends vote? Do the votes of these people not matter to Jacinda? Cancer does not discriminate. It can hit people from both sides of the political divide.
Good on National for shaming the government into funding cancer drugs. Keep it up, as the opposition is promising much more money for cancer drugs and treatment than the government has done, so far. The problem is that the government’s cancer plan is spread over the next 10 years. This government is really good at proposing plans that take a decade or more to come to fruition, even though they will not be anywhere near government 10 years hence. Think Kiwibuild. Think also how tough it must be if you are a cancer sufferer, having been given, say 6 months to live, only to realise that the government’s full cancer programme won’t come into effect for 10 years. You would not be happy or impressed with this government.
Things are much worse than that though.
This government would rather pay the University fees of the children of doctors than fund your cancer drugs.
This government would rather give buyers of electric cars a significant discount than fund your cancer drugs.
This government would rather pour billions of dollars into a Zero Carbon Bill that will make absolutely no difference to global emissions, than fund your cancer drugs.
Because, if the government reconsidered any of those proposals, they could fund cancer drugs for more and more people who need them… rather than fund people who don’t need funding.
When you look at it that way… what do you think of this government?
