Cancer patient’s husband mulls new political party

The frustrated husband of a cancer patient says he’s considering starting a political party amid delays in Government action.

Malcolm Mulholland’s wife, Wiki, has stage-four breast cancer and can’t access a drug that could prolong her life by years through drug-buying agency Pharmac.

Mulholland is chairman of Patient Voice Aotearoa, a group that has been campaigning for a review of the way the system funds medication for cancers and rare conditions, and more funding.

“Once upon a time we used to pride ourselves on having the best healthcare system in the world. What happened?” he said.

“How anyone can say Pharmac is the envy of the world while we have 120 medicines on their waiting list and people are dying prematurely?”

After two petitions and meeting with a Parliamentary select committee, the father of three now says the group is considering whether to form a political party with the aims of reforming Pharmac to make it more transparent and faster, doubling the drug-buying agency’s budget and changing the ways district health boards are funded.

For now, the group is waiting to see the Government’s long-awaited cancer action plan.

Mulholland says he hopes the plan will look at Pharmac but is doubtful.

Health Minister David Clark has said the Government won’t interfere with the way the independent agency buys its drugs, saying it’s a matter for the experts. But the plan will look at speeding up access to new medicines.

Mulholland says his party would also back an independent cancer agency.

That idea was promised by Labour during 2017, but Clark has expressed reservations about it recently, saying he wants accountability to stay with the Ministry of Health.

But the policy, prompted by a petition from Southland man Blair Vining, has now been picked up by the National Party, along with a promise to give Pharmac $50 million a year specifically for proven cancer drugs.

The amount, Mulholland says, is significantly less than is needed.

“We have been arguing that the Pharmac budget needs to be doubled, knowing that if it was, NZ’s medicine spend will still be a third lower than the OECD average,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has rubbished National’s policy, saying it lacks detail and could compromise Pharmac’s ability to negotiate lower prices.