Radiation situation a 'perfect storm'

Deborah Powell
Deborah Powell
Radiation therapists are concerned a lack of resources is putting patient wellbeing at risk, a medical union leader says.

Southern patients are now waiting up to three months to see a specialist, further delays being due to issues with equipment and staff shortages before treatment can begin.

The Ministry of Health tracks radiation treatment waiting times and its most recent figures show 77.8% of Southern District Health Board patients receive their first cancer treatment within 31 days of their diagnosis.

The national target is 85%; only one DHB has a lower result than the SDHB on that measure.

On Saturday, the Otago Daily Times told the stories of three patients facing long delays to cancer treatment, one of whom had paid to be treated privately in Christchurch.

Several more people have since contacted the newspaper.

One person reported a 19-week wait for treatment, and believed their cancer had worsened as a result.

Dr Deborah Powell, national secretary of Apex, the specialist union for allied, scientific and technical employees, said issues over radiation oncology waiting times were a nationwide problem and the SDHB was facing some of the biggest challenges.

''There are not enough staff, not enough machines and many more patients; it's a perfect storm,'' she said.

''There is a major concern among radiation therapists for the welfare of their patients.''

Dr Powell said the waiting list problems would keep recurring unless there was adequate forward planning for cancer treatment services in the new Dunedin Hospital.

The national radiation oncology plan, released two years ago by the ministry, predicted New Zealand would need between five and eight new linear accelerator treatment machines by 2023, depending on how many hours each machine was used.

It said New Zealand produced about four qualified radiation oncologists, three graduate medical physicists and 25 graduate radiation therapists a year, but emigration and retirement meant international recruitment was needed to meet a shortfall of staff.

New Zealand's ageing population means more people are being diagnosed with cancer, driving up demand for radiation treatment.

The SDHB has said it is working hard to reduce waiting times for radiation oncology patients, and Cancer Society Otago-Southland division chief executive Rachael Hart said she was glad this was so.

''However, we are concerned that they will probably be short-term fixes. Finding a long-term fix is going to require more forward planning and greater resourcing.''

Ms Hart said the society was continuing to work with affected patients.

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz

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