Greens co-leader labels Starship Hospital cancer treatment delays unacceptable

Greens co-leader Marama Davidson criticised the seven-day delays in chemotherapy and radiation for children at Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland, calling the situation unacceptable. Health Minister Simeon Brown acknowledged the delays, stating that the maximum wait was a week and that he had requested an explanation from the chief executive of Health New Zealand. He added that specialist nursing positions are either filled or will be shortly, and that overall shift coverage has improved.

Dr Greg Williams, director of the hospital's paediatric haematology/oncology service, confirmed that a shortage of specialist nurses forced the rescheduling of some treatments. Davidson, who herself underwent chemotherapy for stage-2 breast cancer, warned that even a single day’s delay can jeopardise an entire treatment programme. Tanya Lapu'aho, whose two-and-a-half-year-old son Killian battles high-risk neuroblastoma, described the pain and uncertainty caused by the week-long postponement of his second bone-marrow transplant.