June 23, 2010

Cancer Council Queensland has called on the Queensland Government to reform its assistance scheme for rural cancer patients, following the release of an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report showing regional and rural Australians have lower cancer survival rates.

Cancer Council Queensland’s CEO, Professor Jeff Dunn, said sweeping reforms were required in Queensland to close the gap in cancer survival.

“Most of the assistance offered under the current State scheme has not been increased in 20 years, and a drastic increase in funding is urgently required to prevent cancer deaths.

“Rural and regional patients require much greater assistance from Queensland Health to ensure they receive the diagnostic and treatment services they need.

“Evidence shows that the further from Brisbane a cancer patient lives, the more likely they are to die within five years of diagnosis.”

There is an eight per cent difference between cancer survival rates in Far North Queensland and South East Queensland.

“One of the reasons for lower survival rates in regional and rural areas is late detection, due to the difficulty regional Queenslanders have with accessing diagnostic and treatment services,” he said.

Prof Dunn said one of the major barriers to access is the financial expense of travel and accommodation for regional patients.

“A Cancer Council Queensland research study of cancer patients in the North Queensland region found that personal costs of treatment were tremendously high for people who lived more than 100km from the nearest major treatment centre.

“Research also shows that the financial distress experienced by regional and rural cancer patients can be a barrier to seeking treatment and recovery.”

Funding provisions under Queensland Health’s existing Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme have not increased in the past twenty years, with the exception of one increase in the reimbursement for mileage, from 10 cents to 15 cents per kilometre.

“Radiation treatment, provided daily for up to six weeks, requires regional and rural people to relocate from their home and their support base – most are unable to work and therefore suffer a loss of income in addition to facing the costs of treatment and relocation,” he said.

Cancer Council Queensland has called on the Government to reform the existing scheme and create a Cancer Treatment Access Scheme.

“Cancer Council Queensland has written to the Queensland Government to recommend the creation of a Cancer Treatment Access Scheme,” Prof Dunn said.

“We hope to have bi-partisan political support to ensure the creation of such a scheme in advance of the next State Election.

“The Queensland Government needs to reform the current scheme to provide all Queenslanders with an equal chance of detecting, preventing, effectively treating, and surviving a cancer diagnosis,” he said.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Anne Savage, Director Public Affairs, Cancer Council Queensland