Labour leader Chris Hipkins has welcomed new funding for cancer treatments but says the prime minister needs to apologise for the "anguish" and distress cancer sufferers faced while waiting for the announcement.
Christopher Luxon said the focus should be on the announcement and how it will positively affect about 175,000 patients' lives and it's an "infinitely, much deeper, much richer package" than what was promised in the election campaign.
"That's pretty exciting."
The coalition Government today announced "up to seven" of the original 13 cancer treatments National promised during the election will be funded, with others to be "replaced by alternatives just as good or better".
It will cost $604 million over four years – funded from the next Budget with a Government promise it will find the money before then.
The coalition Government has been criticised by the Opposition and other commentators for not delivering funding for 13 cancer drugs National specifically promised it would fund in the election campaign in the May Budget.
Luxon fronted a post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon alongside Health Minister Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour.
The prime minister had been asked several times in the press conference if he would specifically apologise to cancer sufferers who had faced distress over a lack of clarity over which drugs would be funded or not.
Reti said he acknowledged Government communications around the issue could have been clearer. Luxon admitted the Government "could have explained it better" but said "the exciting thing" was the programme expanded the number of medicines available.
In response to the announcement today, Hipkins said the one word Luxon could not – and would not – say in his post-Cabinet press conference was "sorry".
"Sorry for the anguish that his Government has created for cancer sufferers up and down the country while they waited for the Government to get its act together and deliver on a very clear promise that they made to those suffering from cancer at the last election," he said.
Hipkins said New Zealanders were "fair-minded" and respected when politicians admitted their mistakes.
"Christopher Luxon made several mistakes. He shouldn't have made the commitment during the election campaign that he did – he shouldn't have then failed to deliver on that commitment. Ultimately, the fact that the Government [has] found a solution is a good thing for those cancer sufferers. It's a good thing they're funding more medications, but they do deserve an apology.
"Just saying the word 'sorry' would mean a lot to the people who have been through the wringer over the last couple of months waiting to find out what this Government is going to do to deliver on their commitments they made before the election."
He said the Government had reached a more "sensible position" by sticking to the Pharmac model to buy the drugs, and welcomed that an increased number of cancer treatments had been funded.
"But it shouldn't have taken all of that anguish, all of that grief, all of that campaigning to get to this point. They should have done this in the Budget."
He said he thought cancer sufferers were "forgotten by this Government up until a few weeks ago", when there was "such a public outcry" about the lack of funding for the 13 cancer drugs in the Budget.
Hipkins was critical of the funding plan for the announcement, however, saying just three weeks after the Budget the Government was "dipping into" the next.
Need to address health inequities – Greens
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson also welcomed the announcement but called for more to be done to address "the severe health inequities that come with cancer".
Davidson, who last week announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, said not everyone suffering cancer in Aotearoa had access to support – "far from it".
"We also know that those left behind or let down by our health system are often Māori or Pasifika," she said.
“At every point in the chain, our health system fails to provide culturally appropriate and equitable care for Māori. This is borne out in the way that Māori life expectancy rates lag significantly behind Pākehā. This is unacceptable.
“Māori are 80% more likely than non-Māori to die from cancer. Māori women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with, and die from, cervical cancer than Pākehā women. When Māori women’s access to cervical cancer screening is well behind other groups, we must ensure any increases in resourcing for screening is rolled out equitably, and considers the needs of whānau Māori."
Davidson said the "sobering statistics" are a reminder of the "value a Māori Health Authority could have had in reducing some of these stark inequities".
"All New Zealanders deserve to be supported in their times of need. It is upon us as political leaders to ensure our communities have the resources they need to navigate the challenges they face."
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