$200m cancer fund pledge from National
National Party leader Simon Bridges has pledged to introduce a $200 million cancer drugs fund and a new cancer agency if elected in 2020, a strike deep into Labour territory.
The pledge, at his party’s conference in Christchurch yesterday, comes after Bridges accepted a petition from Blair Vining asking for such an agency to be set up on Thursday.
Labour has promised to set up a similar national cancer agency to end the ‘‘post-code lottery of cancer care’’ – where survival rates differ between regions – but has not yet implemented that promise.
Bridges said cancer was New Zealand’s biggest killer and Kiwis shouldn’t have to move countries to access treatment. ‘‘New Zealanders shouldn’t have to mortgage their houses, set up a Givealittle page, or take out massive loans to be able to afford medicines which are funded in other countries,’’ Bridges said. ‘‘As prime minister I will not stand by and watch as people die when we have the opportunity to do more.’’
The fund would cost $200m over four years with $50m for the drugs each year. Pharmac, which currently funds cancer drugs along with all other subsidised medicine, has an annual budget of just under $1b.
A national cancer agency would cost $10m a year, according to National’s costings, funded from the regular health budget baseline. This is the same costing Labour have estimated for such an agency. It would ensure a consistency of diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes across all district health boards (DHBs), with targets set by the agency, which would then hold the DHBs accountable.
The cancer fund would be administered by Pharmac, which would be directed to spend the ringfenced $50m each year. But Bridges said politicians would only direct the funding to cancer, leaving it for the independent body to decide how to spend the money itself.
Health Minister David Clark said the Government was also working on cancer care. ‘‘The Government promised action on cancer care and we will be making significant announcements in the coming weeks.’’