Cancer Therapy Under Threat
November 17, 2006 11:00pm
Article from: Courier Mail, Queensland
QUEENSLAND Health could be forced to cancel potentially life-saving radiation treatment for hundreds of cancer sufferers before Christmas.
It comes as more than 100 radiation therapists plan mass resignations on December 29.
A Medical Radiation Professionals Group spokesman said yesterday that Queensland Health would have to decide as early as Monday whether to cancel the treatment.
The spokesman said the resignation of the therapists – who are specifically trained to operate cancer equipment – meant it would be unsafe to start radiation therapy.
Most cancer patients undergo five to seven weeks of radiation therapy but they face grave risks if the treatment cannot be completed.
Stopping the treatment early would severely weaken the body’s natural defences and could aggravate the cancer, causing it to spread quicker.
“On Monday, the Government is faced with two options – cancel hundreds of treatment bookings with the obvious consequences or start treatment that may not be completed,” the MRPG spokesman said.
“It is foreseeable that this could happen, so the Government will need to also consider its legal exposure.”
But Queensland Health chief health officer Jeannette Young said yesterday she was unaware of any planned resignations by radiation therapists.
Dr Young said about 25 diagnostic radiographers had indicated they were unhappy and were considering resigning. Contingency plans were already being put in place to ensure “minimal disruptions” if the radiographers left Queensland Health.
“We have started discussions with the private sector and they do have capacity,” Dr Young said.
The latest dispute is a major blow to Queensland cancer sufferers who already face some of the longest waits in Australia for radiation treatment.
The Royal Australian College of Radiologists recently found 42 per cent of curative cancer patients in Queensland were treated beyond recommended maximum timeframes.
Internal Queensland Health figures obtained by The Courier-Mail yesterday revealed there were now 642 cancer patients waiting for radiation treatment beyond the recommended maximum.
The threat of mass resignation centres on a pay dispute between Queensland Health and the radiation professionals, who will hold crisis talks in Brisbane on Sunday.
The MRPG wants a new pay deal fast-tracked because radiation professionals are leaving for interstate jobs which pay up to 40 per cent more.
They also claim vacant positions are not being filled.
But Queensland Health does not want to deal with the splinter group and will negotiate with the union only later next year when the current enterprise agreement expires.
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