Coronavirus: Cancer and rare disorder patients 'will die' if Pharmac doesn't spend money on medicines

Those with cancer and rare medical conditions have asked the Prime Minister to relax Pharmac's rules on drug funding to reduce their heightened chance of death during the coronavirus outbreak, and to relieve pressures on public hospitals.

Tegan Hollier, 26, is one of those to be directly affected.

She discovered she had bowel cancer on January 15, had half her bowel removed on February 7 and is starting chemotherapy on April 1.

"My world is falling apart and to now have the rest of the world falling apart is a pretty scary thing.

"The last 74 days of my life have been madness."

Hollier's year ahead was frightening enough. The discovery of cancer revealed Lynch Syndrome,