Herald Sun
March 10, 2009 12:00am
MORE than 350 bowel cancer patients a month are dying as they wait for federal Cabinet to approve subsidising a $55,000 drug.
Eight months ago the Federal Government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee approved a subsidy for the cancer drug Avastin, which costs $55,000 a year.
The decision should have cut the medicine's cost to $32.90 for general patients and $5.30 for pensioners.
But before the subsidy can be paid Cabinet must approve the committee's ruling, because the subsidy for the drug will cost taxpayers more than $10 million a year.
Since the drug subsidy was approved 1600 patients have missed out.
Just 305 patients have been able to pay the $20,000 they need to go on to a special scheme in which the drug's manufacturer Roche helps patients with the cost of the drug.
Retired teacher Jan Plummer, who was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in March, 2007 has taken Avastin for two years.
She is urging Cabinet to act quickly to subsidise the drug.
"I can imagine how many people who are waiting to go on this drug and can't afford it," she said.
She says she could afford it because her health fund, NSW Teacher's Federation, is one of only a few that help pay the cost.
"God help those who don't have health cover or whose funds don't pay," she said.
She says she's been able to travel, swim and run while on the drug that's injected every two weeks.
The only side effect has been high blood pressure that's treated with tablets.
In March last year, it was revealed three costly treatments for Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis and renal disease were delayed.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon spokesman said yesterday he could not comment on when Cabinet might consider the drug.
Roche says price negotiations were settled in August last year.
Bowel cancer is the nation's most common cancer with more than 12,500 cases emerging every year. It is the second biggest cancer killer after lung cancer with 4500 people dying of it each year.
These bowel cancer sufferers DIE not because of a lack of money available to treat them, they die because they are not considered a high enough priority on the list of this Socialist Labor Governments worthy causes. (see link to previous post re PM Rudd's $75 million dollar gift to Islamic terrorists and their supporters)
The Australian Labor Party's love of, and support of, left wing loons,despots and terrorists far out weighs it's love of and concern for Australians.
Mr Rudd has as I write commanded Australia's Govenor General a close personal friend of his and his family, to leave next week for a whirlwind tour of Africa to seek the support of the various African despots, thugs and hoodlums in securing Australia a seat on the United Nations Security Council, Mr Rudd's other great priority.
Mr Rudd's obsession with grand standing on the world stage,rubbing shoulders with any loon and third world despotic African / Islamic thug who tells him what he wants to hear ie what a "great bloke Kevin 07 is", how much will it cost the Australian taxpayers to stroke his pathetic ego? how many more Australian bowel cancer sufferers will die whilst this prick struts around like the jumped up level 3 public servant he is, and will always be, telling anyone who will listen what a genius he is.
Kevin Rudd Gives away $75million to Gazan Islamic terrorists and their supporters
Prior to the introduction of Socialised medicine into Australia by the Australian Labor Party, Australia had the BEST health system in the world bar NONE,all the more reason for the Socialists to destroy it. see Socialised medicine
A life on hold, thanks to red tape
Peter Dutton
News.com.au
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Imagine needing a complicated organ transplant to save your life. But the vital surgery that can save you has never been performed in Australia.
It is routinely performed overseas. Your doctors have said you will be lucky to survive another 12 months without the transplant.
You would hope and pray that Australia’s health authorities and Health Minister Nicola Roxon would do all they could to save your life.
Assess your health condition. Assess the treatment options and then make a timely decision on how you get your lifesaving treatment.
That is the circumstance that 36-year-old Sydney woman, Pauline Talty, found herself in last October.
Today – 20 weeks later – almost five months later - Pauline Talty remains in a Sydney hospital desperately waiting for an answer to her application to be sent to the United States for treatment.
She is being let down!
Three eminent doctors, Dr David Storey of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital; Dr Ross Smith, Professor of Surgery, formerly of Royal North Shore Hospital and Dr Michael Crawford, Surgical Director of the Australian National Liver Transplant Unit are all agreed that Pauline should be sent to Pittsburgh for a bowel transplant.
Their opinions were filed with the Federal Health Department months ago, but still Pauline is being asked to justify why funding should be provided for travel to America.
This is the sort of excessive red tape and bureaucracy which has brought public hospitals in New South Wales to their knees.
And it’s coming from a Federal Government which said it was going to “fix” health.
Imagine if you were in Pauline’s circumstances.
What would you feel? What would you say to the bureaucrats who hold your life in their hands?
"Socialism means equality of income or nothing...........Under Socialism
you would not be allowed to be poor.
You would be forcibly fed, clothed, lodged, taught and employed
whether you liked it or not.
If it were discovered that you had not character and industry enough to
be worth all his trouble, you might possibly be executed in a kindly
manner; but while you were permitted to live,
you would have to live well."
Bernard Shaw.
you would not be allowed to be poor.
You would be forcibly fed, clothed, lodged, taught and employed
whether you liked it or not.
If it were discovered that you had not character and industry enough to
be worth all his trouble, you might possibly be executed in a kindly
manner; but while you were permitted to live,
you would have to live well."
Bernard Shaw.
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