Minister's pledge to Southland dad

Blair and Melissa Vining with their two daughters Lilly, 12, and Della-May, 17, have had their...
Blair and Melissa Vining with their two daughters Lilly, 12, and Della-May, 17, have had their world tipped upside down following Blair's deadly cancer diagnosis. Photo: Supplied
Health Minister David Clark has promised to harness “a once in a lifetime” opportunity to better outcomes for Kiwis battling cancer.

David Clark
David Clark
Dr Clark made the comments at the International Cancer Crossroads Conference that began in Wellington today.

The minister spoke directly to Blair Vining, a Southland father-of-two dying of bowel cancer, who says he has been let down by the health system after being told to wait eight weeks for an "urgent appointment" with an oncologist.

Blair Vining says the public health system failed to hold district health boards to account for life-threatening wait times.

The 38-year-old has just months to live.

Both he and wife Melissa were at the conference to share their story today.

“Minister of Health, it’s great to see you here. However, I want you to know you have failed my husband and you have failed many other New Zealanders by not having a cancer plan,” Melissa Vining told a crowd of 400 people.

Clark responded by saying he acknowledged the need for improvement for cancer control in New Zealand and the Government was working hard to improve it.

“I am personally concerned about the growing inequities [to access health care] and that is the main reason I chose to get involved in politics."

He thanked the Vinings for their bravery in sharing their story and encouraged others to give feedback online to the Health Select Committee as a part of a wider health system review.

The interim report of that review was due back to the Minister in August and the final report in March next year.

There was a “diverse and influential group of people” gathered here today and I would like to take the opportunity to listen, Clark said.

Refusing to wait until his "due date", Blair Vining managed to book an appointment within a week with Dunedin oncologist Chris Jackson - who is also the medical director of Cancer Society New Zealand.

Vining, who is from Winton and a rugby player and coach for Midlands in Southland, was able to start chemotherapy right away which gave him a further three months to live - enough time to renew his wedding vows and savour the time left with his teenage daughters.

"If he hadn't seen Chris when he did and waited that eight weeks, there's a high chance he would already be dead," a tearful Melissa told The New Zealand Herald.

Public reporting of DHBs' performance of cancer treatment wait times was axed by the Labour Government in June last year.

Clark said at last year's announcement the targets created "perverse incentives" but cancer experts say people are dying because of it.

Jackson - who spoke to the Herald ahead of the two-day cancer conference - said that needed to change.

"It's ridiculous that DHBs operate separately without any national standard."

Blair Vining lines up for the national anthem with his mother Pauline and All Blacks players ...
Blair Vining lines up for the national anthem ahead of the Blair Vining Bucket List Rugby Game with his mother Pauline and All Blacks players (from left) Sam Cane and Anton Lienert-Brown. Photo: Ben Waterworth
Bowel Cancer NZ spokesperson Mary Bradley said this inaction from Government was "simply not good enough".

"We know people are already experiencing unacceptable wait times and yet a workforce plan on how this will be addressed is still not forthcoming from the Ministry of Health."

People who are often symptomatic and need treatment urgently are in a desperate situation, Bradley said.

"A delayed diagnosis can be the difference between having a fighting chance to facing a terminal outcome."

A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said there were still national waiting time "expectations" for cancer management, which DHBs were expected to work to.

Patients with a confirmed cancer diagnosis were expected to receive their first cancer treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat," the spokeswoman said.

And the spokeswoman said patients referred urgently with a high suspicion of cancer receive their first treatment within 62 days of the referral being received by the hospital.

"The Ministry of Health is currently developing a new set of performance measures to improve health outcomes for New Zealanders," the spokeswoman said.

The Vinings stressed their anguish was not against the doctors, but the system.

"After seeing Chris, we had a meeting with our local DHB doctors who had no idea how long we were having to wait."

Melissa Vining said the saddest thing was she thought they were the exception and had somehow slipped through the cracks of the system.

"I then shared our story on social media and were contacted by dozens of families going through the same experience."

Precious father-daughter dance captured at Blair's wedding vows renewal with his youngest Lilly, 12. Photo: Supplied
Precious father-daughter dance captured at Blair's wedding vows renewal with his youngest Lilly, 12. Photo: Supplied
She said her husband's deadly cancer couldn't have been detected earlier because he was well below the public screening age of 60.

On Blair's bucket list was to help change the system.

"People try to opt for help and can't access that help which is just so wrong," Melissa told the Herald.

She said their whole family's lives had been tipped upside down.

"Our youngest daughter started writing letters to Blair because she found it hard to talk to him about it.

"In one letter she said she was living in constant fear that she would wake up and her dad wouldn't be there and wouldn't make her 13th or 16th birthday or be there to dance with her at her wedding.

"No child should have go through that and we want to help make change."

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement