Mayors want cancer promise honoured

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Whakatane is unlikely to get specialist cancer clinics back because the Waikato District Health Board says it is too time-consuming for its oncologists to travel from Hamilton.

Regular clinics in Whakatane were suspended three years ago because of a shortage of radiation oncologists in the Midland Health region.

But when the vacancies were filled this year and the Bay of Plenty District Health Board sought to have the clinics reinstated it was told the five-hour round trip was a health and safety risk to staff.

Eastern Bay of Plenty mayors are angry that local cancer patients have to go to Tauranga or Hamilton for treatment - a trip which can take up to four hours each way for people from remote areas. There are no public transport options for some.

Mayors Colin Hammond (Whakatane), Malcolm Campbell (Kawerau) and John Forbes (Opotiki) have written to Health Minister Annette King urgently seeking the resumption of cancer treatment at Whakatane Hospital.

Mr Hammond said yesterday that he had also written to Prime Minister Helen Clark and local MPs.

The chief executive of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, Ron Dunham, said: "We are not happy with the situation and are trying to work with them [the Waikato DHB] to find alternate solutions."

Waikato board spokeswoman Karen Bennett said having skilled clinicians on the road for five hours in a day was "not the best use of scarce resources, so the decision was made to maximise face-to-face time with patients".

Cancer clinics outside Waikato Hospital were now concentrated at Tauranga and Rotorua.

When "peripheral" clinics had been held at Whakatane and Taupo, staff would be leaving Hamilton at 6.30am and not returning home until 12 or 14 hours later, she said.

"Given these travel times and heavily booked clinics, it was extremely stressful."

Since 2000, when 147 cancer clinics were held in Tauranga and Whakatane, the number at Tauranga had been boosted to 168 a year.

However, Mr Dunham said that had been done to meet the Tauranga demand. Waikato physicians who travelled to Whakatane had "always had the ability" to stay overnight rather than drive back the same day.

Mr Hammond said that with high cancer rates in the Bay of Plenty and a fast-growing population, people should have access to oncology specialists and treatment in their local hospitals.

Waikato had promised reinstatement of the Whakatane clinics when staffing was up to full strength but had reneged on that. The board's reason lacked credibility, he said.

The National MP for the Bay of Plenty, Tony Ryall, described the decision as "appalling." Paediatric and renal specialists drove or flew to Whakatane for monthly clinics and stayed overnight, he said.

Ms Bennett said a project team would review Midland region cancer services within the next three months.