New Zealand's health impact from the Covid-19 lockdown has been called into question, as fears of cancer death increases alongside traumatic health experiences were heard today by MPs.
Cancer Society medical director Christopher Jackson told the select committee that if delays in cancer-related treatment were not remedied, "we will have non-Covid cancer casualties".
"That is predictable, that is measurable, that is identifiable, that is foreseeable and is something we can and we must avoid."
Dr Jackson said based on UK research, it was predicted if there was a three-month average delay in diagnosis and management of cancer, 400 lives would be lost in New Zealand.
“There are cancer types such as oesophageal, gastric cancer, liver, pancreas and colon cancer where delays in the management of cancer do result in measurable and immediate reductions in survival.
"If we don’t do these colonoscopies, endoscopies, biopsies and scans, lives will be lost."
He gave the example of the loss of one month of routine CT scans, saying it would mean some people waiting for scans would have to wait longer, impacting on their survival.
"The biggest gap was in diagnostics, so people who had suspected cancer who would have normally got a scan or biopsy or endoscopy or colonoscopy did not get that."
He said that saw a 30 per cent reduction in cancer diagnoses.
"There are people at the moment in the community who have symptoms who would have otherwise been diagnosed.
Suspended screening services saw 30 per cent fewer cases diagnosed at Alert Level 4. (Source: Other)
"We owe it to them that we make sure we can do those diagnoses, which can only be done with additional capacity. Because the health system sure as heck wasn’t sitting on its hands prior to the Covid epidemic."
Also at the select committee, MPs heard from New Zealanders who had suffered during the lockdown, with one person unable to be with his wife while she was advised of a miscarriage.
The Funeral Directors of NZ also told the committee of the families of 2000 New Zealanders who died during lockdown, who were unable to properly grieve due to the restrictions on funerals.
An example was given of a young man's parents who were only able to see him for the last time shortly after his death.
PM’s reaction
The circumstances were put to the Prime Minister at today's press conference, who then told media the Government had never discounted the impact Alert Level 4 lockdown had on people's lives.
"Some of the stories don’t fit with our expectations," Jacinda Ardern said. "There are some expectations I don’t think are being met.
"No one, no one should birth alone. Everyone should have been able to have a support person with them through that experience, so there are some stories and testimonies that I'm sure the Director-General [of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield] will want to be looking at.
"What we’re hearing is sometimes the individual experiences of some individual DHBs, and sometimes those decisions are being made by clinicians."
Dr Bloomfield said they had heard those testimonies "and we will work with those people as much as we can".
On the cancer screening, Dr Bloomfield said no cancer screening was done during the lockdown but it is now up and running again.
"There’s a very big focus on getting those being in to be assessed.
“I have no doubt those who deliver cancer services are more committed to than anyone to making sure people get timely assessment and investigation to ensure any possible harm that may have occurred because of the lockdown is averted.”
He said that 80 per cent of cancer surgery that was expected to take place during lockdown had taken place.
One person has died and two new cases have been added today. (Source: Other)
Today, there were two new cases of Covid-19, after the prior two days saw no new cases.
It brings New Zealand's Covid-19 cases to 1488.
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