Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2015, Chris Staynes said he was one of the lucky ones who could afford the cost.
The 73-year-old was one of the speakers at last night’s Medicine Crisis Roadshow at Otago Museum as part of the MyLifeMatters campaign.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Staynes said he was hoping to shed light on the problem and encourage men to get themselves checked.
"[We are] trying to get across to the politicians that New Zealand needs to stop being a third world country when it comes to its treatment for cancer."
When he was diagnosed the cancer had metastasized to his bones, but the drug Lucrin had been keeping it in check.
At first it was funded through the public system, but after about three years funding was cut back in favour of another prostate cancer medication, a decision Mr Staynes believed was mostly financial.
However, Lucrin was working well for him, so he decided to pay to keep taking it.
It cost $853 every three months to have an injection, he said.
Although the drug was only expected to work for between three and five years before the cancer adapted to it, it was only now that it was losing effectiveness.
He would have to turn to a new medication soon, but the best ones were not funded in New Zealand, and he was considering seeking these overseas.
"Cancer is one of those diseases that if you have to wait or you can’t get reasonably modern drugs, then your quality of life and length of life can be significantly affected."
He was doing well and staying positive.
If not for a few pains and his test results, he would not even know he had cancer.
However, the healthcare system needed to change.
"Survival rates for cancer patients in Australia are much, much better than here."
He also needed a PET scan, and this would be significantly cheaper in Australia. .
All such scans were outsourced to private providers in New Zealand, and scans for those with prostate cancer were not publicly funded in the South.
Another issue with the healthcare system was although prostate cancer rates among older men were very high, it did not send reminders to get checked with regular blood tests, Mr Staynes said.
Such a reminder could well have spurred him to be diagnosed earlier.
Men tended to"wait and wait and wait" before going to the doctor, but cancer did not wait.
"My message to all the blokes that I run into is don’t be afraid of a blood test, go and get them."
Last night’s event was spearheaded by North Island cancer patient advocate Malcolm Mulholland, who was travelling the country to raise awareness.
The experience of his late wife Wiki Mulholland — who he met in Dunedin in 1998 when they both travelled to the city for a national students’ conference — had spurred him to act.
Drugs that would have extended her life after a terminal breast cancer diagnosis were not publicly funded.
"Australia funds over 100 more treatment options than New Zealand and it just really goes to show you how far behind the eight ball we are."
The key takeaway was that funding to Pharmac needed to double.
A Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand spokesman acknowledged the distress and concern that access to some healthcare diagnostic tests and medications caused.
"We are working hard to improve our capacity and scope for cancer care in New Zealand."
