Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealanders can expect an announcement on funding for 13 new cancer drugs by Christmas.
National campaigned on spending a total of $280m on 13 treatments that would have helped fight bladder, bowel, liver, lung, kidney and head and neck cancers in addition to melanoma.
It was supposed to be funded by reinstating the $5 prescription payment.
However, Budget 2024 included no money for the drugs.
On Q+A over the weekend, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the Government inherited some "fiscal bombs" — including a shortfall in funding for medicine purchasing agency Pharmac that was "far larger" than previously thought.
"That meant we had to find $1.8b just to sustain access to life saving medicines."
She said the Government would be in a position to make an announcement "very soon" – and Luxon echoed Willis' comments this morning.
"We are very committed to making sure we get those 13 cancer treatments to New Zealanders as quickly as we possibly can," he said.
Pressed for a timeline, Luxon told Breakfast: "People will know before Christmas."
Christopher Luxon said police job cuts helped "amplify" the ability to hire new front line officers. (Source: Breakfast)
The Government is "working really hard on it", he said.
"We are going to deliver on that commitment.
"It is taking longer than we would like, because we are working through processes by which we can actually ensure that we can procure those drugs in an efficient and a good way, so that we've got sustainable supply of that and we've got a good process going forward.
"I know that's not what people want to hear, but I just want to reassure everyone, there is no change to our commitment.
"We are going to deliver on that promise," Luxon said. "We just couldn't get it together in time for that Budget."
'It feels like a lie'
Cancer patient Paul Drummond told 1News last week that, for many, this was a "life or death decision".
"At the very least, it's a broken promise. It feels like a lie."
Patient advocate Melissa Vining said it was "absolutely despicable" that the promise was not being fulfilled.
"There are people who will literally die as a result of that decision."
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