John MacDonald: It should be Labour apologising to cancer patients

When I was off sick last week, I was crook enough to need to see a couple of doctors. And I’m very glad Chris Hipkins wasn’t one of them. 

Because, if he had been and if he was true to the noises he’s been making about the Government’s big cancer drugs announcement yesterday, then he’d probably spend all his time apologising to me for taking too long to work out what was actually wrong with me. 

Which I wouldn’t give two hoots about as long as I knew what it was that was making me crook and how I was going to get better. 

And I’m picking that’s how most cancer patients and their families will be feeling today, with the Government confirming more than $600 million will be going to Pharmac to fund around 26 cancer treatments. 

Do you think the people who are going to benefit —and their families— are going to quibble over the timing? 

If you’re expecting me to pile into the Government —like Chris Hipkins and Labour have been since yesterday’s announcement— then maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do. 

Because, if I wanted to, I could very easily say that the Government is just doing what the patron saint of Prime Ministers used to do back in the day - this is Sir John Key I’m talking about. If I wanted to, I could very easily say that Christopher Luxon is just doing what his old mentor did back in the day, and he’s just using the cancer money to take our attention off other stuff like ferries breaking down. 

I could say that. But I wouldn’t mean it. I’d just be saying it. 

Just like I could say that the Government’s only coming up with the money for the cancer drugs now because it’s listened to the old talkback focus groups and realised —after the fact— that it dropped the ball not including it in the Budget a few weeks back. 

I could say that. But I wouldn’t mean it. And I wouldn’t believe it. 

What I do believe, is that the Government has done the right thing and who cares about the timing?  

And if you want a less sugar-coated description, let’s bring-in medical oncologist Chris Jackson who told Newstalk ZB that the cancer funding announcement is “an excellent outcome from a terrible process”. 

But again, so what? 

Because all of us, we have all known someone to varying degrees who has been affected by cancer. 

Next month, it’ll be 25 years since we lost dad to cancer. Mum’s had her own cancer scares. Someone else in the family had a brush with it last year. 

So this is something that affects all of us and will be of benefit to many of us. And that’s why I think Chris Hipkins is being miserly and why I think he’s only doing what he’s accusing the government of doing - playing politics with cancer. 

In fact, I remember when he was in government and his party had the chance to splash the cash on cancer treatment, and it didn’t. I remember it distinctly. It was a couple of Budgets ago and a bunch of cancer survivors made the trip to Wellington expecting a big spend-up on cancer drugs. 

And what happened? They left town bitterly disappointed that only half the amount they expected was in the Budget. That was when Labour decided it was better to spend the money merging our public media companies. 

But Chris Hipkins seems to have forgotten about that. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk Z'B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
When I was off set last week, I was actually
crooking ough to need to see a couple of doctors,
and I'm very glad Chris Hopkins wasn't one of them,
because if he had been, if it was doctor Chris Hopkins,
and if he was true to the noises he's been
making about the government's big cancer drugs announcement yesterday, then
he'd probably spend all his time apologizing to me for

(00:35):
taking too long to work out what was actually wrong
with me, which I wouldn't give two hurts about as
long as I knew what it was that was making
me croaking, how doctor Chippy was gonna get me better,
And I'm picking that's how most cancer patients and their
families will be healing today. With the government confirming more
than six hundred million dollars is going to be spent

(00:58):
or added to farmac's budget to fund around twenty six
cancer treatments, do you think the people who are going
to benefit and do you really think they're going to
quibble over the timing? Well, well, will you tell me.
I may be surprised. But if you've tuned in this
morning expecting or wanting me to pile into the government

(01:19):
like Chris Hopkins and Labor have been since yesterday's announcement,
maybe you don't know me as well as you think
you do, Because if I wanted to, I could very
easily say that the government's just doing what the patron
saint of prime ministers used to do back in the day.
This is sir Jean Key I'm talking about. If I
wanted to, I could very easily say that christup Luxon's
just doing what his old mentor did back on the day,

(01:41):
and he's just using the cancer money to take our
attention off other stuff like fairies breaking down. I could
say that, wouldn't mean it, though, I'd just be saying it,
just like I could say that the government's only coming
up with the money for the cancer drugs now because
it's listened to the old talkback focus groups and realize
after the fact that you know, I dropped the ball
not including it in the budget a few weeks back.

(02:04):
I could say that, but I wouldn't mean it, and
I wouldn't believe it. What I do believe is that
the government has done the right thing, and who cares
about the timing. Here's how the Prime Minister presented it
to Mike about an hour and a half ago.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
It goes from several thousand people to one hundred and
seventy five thousand people in twenty six new chance of
treatments up to fifty four as part of a package
of fifty four more medicine. So yeah, look, I mean,
I think it is present. I think it's quite a
transferacial investment. I think it's something you know, as a politician,
Jermie feel proud about this one. Yes, it's different from
what we propose, but actually I'm more interested in the outcomes,

(02:39):
and I promised those outcomes and we've now surpassed those outcomes, which.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Is, of course it's good. He said, it's good. At
the end, of course, it's good. But if you want
a less sugar coated description, let's bringing medical oncologist Chris Jackson,
who told Mike that the cancer funding announcement is quote
an excellent outcome from a terrible process.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
We've never had any investment at this extent, Mike, and
the entirety of FIM Access Street, I mean, six hundred
million is a very very very big number, and we
have never had this many camps to drugs funded it
once at any time. So despite the way we got here,
I'm absolutely utterly thrilled. There are still quite a few
fishops though, Mike. You know, when you dump twenty six
cancer medicines into the system at once, the largest ever,

(03:17):
you do create a bit of a capacity demand issue.
And the cancer services already pretty tight, and there's a
number of services around the country which have already got
wedding lists in place, and so if we don't fund
the infrastructure for them, the chemo units, the nurses and
the light, then you can end up with cancer waiting
lists in six to twelve months time. So we're going
to be careful about how we do this.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Okay, I'm listening, yep. As the doctor says, there can
still be some fishooks. But again, so what because all
of us we have all known someone to varying degrees
who has been affected by cancer. What next month, it'll
be twenty five years since we lost dad to cancer.
Mums had our own battles with cancer as well. Someone

(03:55):
else in the family had a brush with it last year.
So this is something that a affects all of us,
and b will be a benefit to many of us.
And that's why I think Chris Sipkins is being miserly
and why I think he's only doing what he's doing,
or he's only doing what he's accusing the government of doing,
which is playing politics with cancer. In fact, I remember

(04:17):
when he was in government and his party had the
chance to splash the cash on cancer treatment and it didn't.
I remember it distinctly. You may as well. It was
a couple of budgets ago and a whole bunch of
cancer survivors made the trip to Wellington expecting a big
spend up on cancer drugs and what happened. They left
town bitterly disappointed that only half the amount they expected
was in the budget. That was when Labour decided it

(04:37):
was better to spend the money merging up public media companies.
Remember that. Remember that. But Chris Hopkins seems to have
forgotten about that, because there he was yesterday firing up
the statements on the fax machine. We're going to talk
to him shortly, by the way, a couple of quites
and what he said, he says, I am relieved Farmak
will be funded more to buy medicines for Kiwis it
is important the decisions on which drugs get funded remain

(04:59):
independent from politics. He goes on say there are many
people who deserve an apology from Christopher Luxan and are
still waiting for one. A there he goes his commitment
to keeping drug funding free of politics out the window
and line two he goes on he as in the
Prime Minister is yet to say sorry for the anguish
he has caused people suffering from cancer up and down

(05:20):
the country while they waited for the government to deliver
on their promises. He says the funding for cancer medicines
was supposed to come from scrapping universal free prescriptions in
budget twenty four. Now it's been borrowed from next year's budget.
Blah blah blah, blah blah blah. Chappie who Cares.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
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Speaker 1 (05:36):
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