AMA (NSW) welcomes Coalition’s Westmead upgrade pledge
February 28, 2015Map My Health Career welcome help for doctors-in-training
March 6, 2015AMA (NSW) welcomes Labor’s pledge to ensure that chemotherapy is free for cancer patients in NSW public hospitals.
“I’m very happy that Labor has promised to ensure patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer in public hospitals will not pay for chemotherapy.
“The current system means public cancer patients are required to make a co-payment the first time a particular dose of a drug is administered.
“This is an additional cost that hits people when they are sickest,” Dr Saxon Smith said.
“AMA (NSW) and other groups, including the Cancer Council, have been opposed to the idea of charging public patients a co-payment on chemotherapy.
“I would encourage all parties to commit to Labor’s pledge and ensure free access to chemotherapy for public cancer patients,” Dr Smith said
“Chemotherapy is a widely-used treatment for many different types of cancer.
“Removing the co-payment on chemotherapy would affect a good number of the sickest people currently receiving treatment in our hospitals.
“In particular people in regional and rural NSW, who, in many cases, need to travel to larger cities for their care and face higher out of pocket costs as a result,” Dr Smith said.
Media contact: Lachlan Jones (02) 9902 8113 / 0419 402 955