Mid-Central DHB is cutting chemotherapy treatment for certain types of cancer.
It’s clear that one of the over-riding reasons behind the decision to refuse some cancer patients treatment and the failure to even place them on the waiting list is to ensure that Tony Ryall can manipulate cancer waiting times to present to the media.
Cutting cancer waiting times is one of Tony Ryall’s narrow-focused targets for the health system. A laudable aim at first glance, but did anyone really expect that this would be the method used to achieve it?
National criticised Labour for sending patients needing cancer treatment to Australia when there was a shortage of specialists. We know now that instead of sending patients to Australia when there is a shortage, National’s answer is they just won’t treat patients who have some cancers.
Ryall has been virtually silent since this issue came to light. Guess there’s no photo-op in it for him.
