|
|
|
|
NICK XENOPHON M.L.C. INDEPENDENT NO POKIES
MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
18 March
2005
DESPERATE ·
Severely ill
melanoma patients are being denied potentially life-saving treatment while the
State Government dithers over a measly $100,000. No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon has
called on the State Government to “immediately and urgently” fund a ground-breaking melanoma
vaccine trial, which has shown remarkable promise – yet has been starved of
the $100,000 needed for it to continue. The funding is needed to
continue treating cancer patients with a melanoma vaccine, which had been
trialled by the Twenty patients had undergone
treatment as part of the trial and of those 16 patients had improvements in
their condition, while the melanoma was stopped completely in its tracks in four
of the patients. But funding for the
trials ended in 2004 and both the State and Federal Governments have so far
refused to pick up the bill.
Urgent requests to State Health
Minister Lea Stevens for assistance have not been acted on. But No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon
is appealing to State Health Minister Lea Stevens to stop passing the buck to
the Federal Government and urgently address the funding shortfall. “It’s
pathetic the State Government can’t cough up $100,000 for this life-saving
treatment out of a total heath budget of $2.659 billion – that’s just 0.0037
per cent“ “Lea
Stevens has known about this shortfall for months and has sat on her hands in
relation to funding. Some of these people have a life expectancy of only around
three months from the time the melanoma is detected. “We
simply don’t have the time to pass the buck on this issue.” “The
research team at The media conference today will
hear from two patients whose lives have been saved by the vaccine, and two
patients who are desperate to get on the treatment trial.
Written
and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075
|