Thursday, 6 June 2024
Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister
Parliament Buildings
Hon Shane Reti
Minister of Health
Parliament Buildings
Hon David Seymour
Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac)
Parliament Buildings
Dear Prime Minister and Ministers of Health,
Re: Ensuring that medicines funding for blood cancer patients will not be forgotten
As the country’s alliance of blood cancer patient advocacy groups (Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, Myeloma New Zealand, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Advocates New Zealand) and consultant haematologists, we were very disappointed to see that the promised $280m for ring-fenced funding of oncology medicines was omitted from last week’s Budget announcements.
While it is encouraging that you have subsequently heard the public outcry and have taken steps to confirm your commitment to delivering these solid tumour medicines for patients this year, we are writing on behalf of the 21,000 blood cancer patients in New Zealand to ensure that your pre-election promise to them is also honoured and delivered.
When announcing the ‘13 medicines’ policy on August 21 last year, Minister Reti (then National’s health spokesperson) told blood cancer patients, “we have not forgotten you”.
“I want to give a shoutout to the non-solid [tumour] cancer sufferers – that’s the people with myeloma and leukaemia [and lymphoma, among other blood cancers] – we have not forgotten you… but where we are now is that the Cancer Control Agency hasn’t done the piece of work like they have done with the solid tumours, to be able to give us that guidance as to what those treatment gaps are. So again, we are sending out a signal to the people with myeloma and the people with leukaemia, we understand, we haven’t forgotten you, we just need that piece of work to be done by the Cancer Control Agency”
The Cancer Control Agency’s report on blood cancer medicines, referred to by Minister Reti, is now only days away, with the advice due before the end of this month.
The importance of this report on blood cancer medicines access in Aotearoa is evident from the Cancer Control Agency’s prior report on solid tumour medicines, where it was noted that “Blood cancer treatment is heavily reliant on the use of medicines, given that other non-medicine options, like surgery or radiotherapy, are often not an option. We suspect that the conclusions of this analysis (which is focused on solid tumour medicines) would be similar if not more compelling for blood cancers.” An identical statement was made in the agency’s Briefing to the Incoming Minister of Health in January.
In March, Minister Reti further reassured blood cancer patients that they would be treated equitably, stating,
“…the blood cancer medicines were not actually assessed. I would like to think that they [Pharmac and the Cancer Control Agency] might incorporate that advice as well.”
In recent days, various Ministers of the Government have given positive reassurance to the public that the Budget Day omission on cancer medicines funding will be put right and the Government will deliver on its promises with urgency. We thank you for that commitment. However, in the media furore surrounding these announcements, a re-commitment from the Government to ensure equitable progress in medicines access for blood cancer patients, alongside solid tumour patients, was unfortunately forgotten.
As you work on the details for funding and implementing the cancer medicines policy and consider the imminent blood cancer medicines report, we ask that you honour your pre-election commitment to all cancer patients across New Zealand – specifically including blood cancer patients – so that they are not left behind.
We thank you for your stated goal to deliver better healthcare for New Zealanders and look forward to receiving your response.
Ngā mihi nui,
On behalf of the following haematologists and blood cancer patient advocacy organisations:
Dr. Rodger Tiedemann
Antony and Margaret Morris Fellow in Cancer Research
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Auckland
Haematologist, Auckland Hospital
Cancer and Blood Service, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Dr. Ruth Spearing
Haematologist
Previous Clinical Lead Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Canterbury DHB
Professor Peter Browett
Haematologist
Medical director, Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand
Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand
Dr Annette Neylon
Haematologist/Transfusion Medicine Specialist
HSANZ Councillor for New Zealand
Tim Edmonds
Chief Executive Officer, Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand
Catherine Isaac
Trustee, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Advocates New Zealand
Nichola Oakenfull
Trustee, Myeloma New Zealand
Dr. Sarah Poplar
Clinical Haematologist | Kaimātai Toto
Cancer & Blood services / Te Tai Tokerau / Northern Region
Dr. Laura Chen
Haematologist
Middlemore Hospital
Dr. Sarah Hartley
Haematologist
Tauranga Hospital
Dr Fionnuala Fagan
Haematologist
Southern Blood and Cancer Service
Dr Bridgett McDiarmid
Haematologist,
Dunedin Hospital.
Dr. Samar Issa
Chair, Lymphoma Network of New Zealand
Haematologist
Middlemore Hospital
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Dr. Anna Ruskova
Haematologist
Clinical lead Haematology
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Te Toka Tumai | Auckland
Dr Eileen Merriman
Clinical Director Haematology
Waitemata DHB
Dr Imogen Caldwell
Haematologist
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Te Toka Tumai | Auckland
Dr. Clinton Lewis
Haematologist
Auckland Hospital
Te Pūriri o Te Ora | Te Toka Tumai
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Dr. Francisca Reed MD
Haematology Research Unit Manager
Te Whatu Ora Waitemata
Dr. Leanne Berkahn
Haematologist
Clinical Lead Haematology
Auckland Hospital
Delaine Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group
Dr. Suchitra Kirshnamurthy
Clinical Haematologist
Whangarei Hospital
Dr. Rory Bennett
Haematologist
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
Waitemata
Dr. Peter Ganly
Haematologist
Christchurch Hospital
Dr Andrew Butler
Haematologist
Canterbury Health Labs
Christchurch
Raewyn Broady
Locum Consultant Haematologist
Nelson, Marlborough
Henry Ngu
Haematologist
Auckland Hospital
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Nicole Chien
Haematologist
Auckland City Hospital
Philip George
Haematology Consultant
Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre
Dr Bart Baker
Haematologist
MidCentral DHB
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Dr. Jared Williams
Haematologist
Dunedin Hospital
Dr. Kathryn Forwood
Haematologist
Two Whatu Ora Southern
Dr. Anna Byrne (she/her/ia)
Consultant Haematologist
Southern Blood and Cancer Service/Te Whatu Ora – Southern
Dr. Nicola Eaddy
Haematologist
Auckland Hospital
Dr. Kern Chai,
Haematologist
Christchurch
Dr. Tom Sapsford
Clinical Haematologist
North Shore Hospital
Dr. Richard Doocey
Haematologist
Director Auckland City and Starship Hospitals Stem Cell Transplant Program
Dr. James Liang
Haematologist
Middlemore Hospital
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Dr Anna Elinder-Camburn
Haematologist
Te Whatu Ora Waitemata
Amelia Turnwald
Clinical Research Coordinator Team Lead
Haematology Research
Waitematā
Dr. Anup George
Consultant Haematologist
Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre
Emma-Jane McDonald
Haematologist
Christchurch Hospital
Dr Matthew Mackey
Consultant Haematologist
Waikato & Tairāwhiti
Dr. Sophie Leitch
Consultant Haematologist
Department of Haematology
North Shore Hospital
Dr. Catherine Neal
Haematologist
Christchurch Hospital
Dr. Laura Young
Haematologist
Auckland Hospital
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Dr. Gordon Royle
Haematologist, Middlemore Hospital
Senior lecturer, Auckland School of Medicine.
Dr. (Maria) Rhida Bautista
Consultant Haematologist
Southern Blood and Cancer Services
Dr. Helen Moore
Laboratory Haematologist
Waikato
Dr. Paul Ockelford
Clinical Haematologist
Auckland
Dr. James Campling
Consultant Haematologist
Lakes and Waikato district
Dr. Shahidul Islam
Consultant Haematologist
Waikato Hospital
Dr. Travis Perera
Haematologist, Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre, Wellington Hospital
Chair, New Zealand Haematology Research Group
Dr. Matt Wheeler
Associate Chief Medical Officer
Haematologist | Acute and General Physician
Dr. Marie Hughes
Haematologist
Te Whatu Ora, Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty
Dr. Kirsty Marshall
Haematologist Middlemore Hospital
Cancer and Blood service, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ