Forcing Kiwis to move to Australia for life-saving cancer drugs is bloody offensive

OPINION: It seems so wrong - you pay your taxes and work hard all your life only to find the health system you've contributed to for decades isn't there for you when you desperately need it. 

I'd be furious, really really angry. It would be such a let-down.

I'm talking about Christchurch's Maureen King, who needs a cancer drug which costs $100,000 a year here, because Pharmac has so far refused to fund it.

Her son Alexander is running a campaign to keep his mum here and he's a true hero - but the longer this goes on unresolved, the more likely it is they will have to sell up here and all settle in Australia as a way of keeping Maureen alive.

Because across the ditch, the drugs Maureen needs are free and they have been free since they were introduced a number of years back. 

Free there, $100k here.

In NZ, in your hour of need, you may very likely be shown the door to Australia.

Cancer drugs that cost $30k every three months and the Aussies are only too willing to pay and they may well keep you alive.

'Sorry, we can't help' - but those guys over there in Aussie can and will help you.

It's very kind, but very bizarre. If we were wealthier we would have almost everything we desired. But we are not. 

Priorities matter and we haven't had Pharmac at the top of any list, ever.

Why can't we have those drugs too? Just two hours away from us they have more than 100 life-extending and life-saving drugs that we don't. 

I say we need to find the money and put it towards these drugs.

Governments prioritise every day - let's make this a constant priority and ditch some of the spending on flakey consultants. 

But before I forget, thank you Australia .. sometimes when Kiwis criticise you, I think we forget all this. 

Still, what a wretched decision for Maureen King and her family of seven. 

They must now sell everything and travel to Australia and set up shop there.They face selling the house and everything they have to give Aussie a decent shot at saving Maureen. 

Her five children are all going and her husband, who is not well. 

It's bloody offensive forcing humans to go through this stress when they are already sick - who could honestly say it's fair?

C'mon Paula Bennett - you're in charge now, what can you do?

Christopher Luxon - you love outcomes, this is an easy one to win.

We have to stop exporting our people to Australia for medical care.It's not good enough. 

We need an emergency drug fund, $50 -100 million, sitting there for families to access unfunded drugs. 

We can afford this.

Design it, implement it and make it available.

Make it easy, not harder. 

Sending our people off into the sunset is just wrong and it must be changed.

Come on NZ…  we need to sharpen up.

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