Debbie Robins was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May 2019 and is running out of treatment options. Photo / Alex Cairns
OPINION
Four cancer treatments in three years: $132,775. Bay of Plenty mother of three Debbie Robins says this is what she has had to pay for drugs to prolong her life as she fights incurable ovarian cancer. Of this, she has paid nearly $20,000 in GST and thousands more to get a drug administered privately. Now, she is calling on the Government to remove GST on privately funded medication or to allow it to be administered in public hospitals.
Read the full story here: Ovarian cancer: Bay of Plenty mother spends more than $130,000 on treatments
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Tragic. No other words. If only this government didn’t waste so much money on “nothing” and “handouts”, people like this poor woman could get the care and well-deserved help.
Mark C
More evidence that under Labour, New Zealand is a Third World country.
Mark O
Debbie’s situation is not rare. Many people are suffering from cancer currently on waiting lists for surgery and having to fund cancer treatments privately. The very least the Govt could do is drop GST on these cancer drugs, which are privately imported, or allow people to have the drugs administered in a public hospital because after all they have paid taxes. Poor Debbie and her family are having to go it alone with her treatment costs and it is about time Govt assisted her by dropping GST at the very least.
Kirsty G
Isn’t every law complex and time-consuming? Maybe if they remove GST from food they can add privately funded medicine to the law at the same time. It’s bad enough to have to pay for the drugs, and then to get a petty excuse as well is sad.
Louise C
If the taxpayer were to pay for all lifesaving drugs required by all sick New Zealanders, the country would be broke.
Scott H
The money wasted on the failed media merger and the bike bridge design would have made a difference to many cancer patients. That’s only two out of many costly projects that resulted in no benefit for NZ.
People privately fund cancer treatment, which is the norm in most Western countries, in order to survive or have a few more precious years with their family. To do so they use their savings (if lucky), mortgage or sell their house or rely on public fundraising. The government then helps itself to a cut of this money. It’s a double win for the government; they save money by not funding these drugs and then they make money by taxing self-funded treatment. Kind and empathetic for sure.
Potter O
As a medical professional, Pharmac needs a major inquiry. NZ is now so far backward in many drugs supplied for cancer, rare diseases, diabetes, heart disease, etc compared with many other countries. We are at best 10-15 years behind. Quite frankly, it’s a scandal.
Elizabeth J
Some high-wealth members of our community have suggested they should be paying more tax. Maybe these people could put their wealth into areas such as funding for cancer drugs or other rescue resources such as ambulances and helicopters that we so desperately need. Friend of a cancer patient.
Brian T
In response to Brian T: Good idea Brian. These high-wealth individuals call for higher taxes but what is stopping them individually from being philanthropic and funding cancer treatments?
Kirsty G
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