Source: Radio New Zealand
The payment for those who have to drive for treatment is only 34 cents a kilometre and has strict criteria. File photo. RNZ / Quin Tauetau
Cancer comes with a high price at the best of times, but it is getting more costly for hundreds of patients as fuel prices rise.
Many people with cancer are forced to drive hundreds of kilometres to main centres for treatment and specialist appointments, and are struggling as the conflict in the Middle East pushes up the price of petrol.
Under the National Travel Assistance scheme, patients needing to travel frequently to see specialists can apply for a mileage reimbursement. But the payment is only 34 cents a kilometre and has strict criteria.
The Cancer Society says an increasing number of patients can not afford the cost of what is supposed to be free treatment and the assistance scheme is totally inadequate.
Cancer Society southern head of cancer services Craig Watson told Checkpoint it was not just the cost of getting to treatment, but the price of everything, such as insurance.
“So it’s already hard times and this is going to make it a lot harder.”
Watson said people were still falling through the cracks of the travel assistance scheme.
“One woman who lived just north of Greymouth who had to travel five times to Christchurch for treatment, that’s 350 kilometres each way, so 3500kms, so because she didn’t meet the criteria of six appointments in six months, she wasn’t eligible for any support at all.”
He said the woman was not sure she would be able to afford to continue her treatment, until she got support from the Cancer Society and other organisations.
Watson said changes to the system in 2024 had improved things, “but we’re still stuck in a situation where it’s super expensive if you don’t live in a major city to get treatment”.
The process of actually getting the financial assistance was also an issue.
Watson said patients who travelled for treatment still had to apply for the milage by sending proof of appointments and other paperwork to get reimbursement, which could take months.
“We know times are tough and we know Iran is going to affect the budget of the government, so we’re just asking the government just to do what was promised, to make it more agile. They also promised to regularly increase the rates, which have only be updated once in the last 17 years, so let’s focus on doing what is right for patients.”
Health New Zealand acknowledged the scheme needed to improve to make it fit for purpose.
Planning and funding director Rachel Haggerty said the rate was lifted from 28 cents per kilometre to 34 cents in April 2024 and the mileage rate was not intended to cover full travel costs.
She said Health New Zealand had been working to modernise the scheme and patients can make claims electronically.
Haggerty said further improvements were being investigated, including changes to eligibility criteria and more flexible payment options, such as pre-payment.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
