Health New Zealand is continuing to bolster its specialist capacity for non-surgical cancer services in the southern districts.

The agency said two new radiation oncologists and a medical oncologist have been appointed in the last year, with a radiation oncologist relocating from South Africa in the next few weeks.

Two further radiation oncologists are also due to join Dunedin Hospital next year.

Health NZ Southern acting group director of operations Craig Ashton said the recent additions would continue to improve the delivery of cancer services for the southern population.

The news comes less than a week after cancer advocate Melissa Vining slammed the wait times faced by Southland cancer patients.

The cancer care advocate made the revelation to Susie Ferguson on Saturday Morning in October while describing the almost weekly correspondence she has with patients facing longer than expected wait times to cancer diagnostic services at Southern District Health Board, now Te Whatu Ora Southern.

Vining said patients who contacted her were being told they will be seen within six to eight weeks by a specialist after receiving a cancer diagnosis, compared to the nationally recommended target of four.

"People's disease progresses, and in some cases, people die before they get seen by the medical oncologist," she said.

Her husband Blair, 39, died in October 2019 of bowel cancer after receiving his diagnosis - and a letter of his own which said he would have to wait 12 weeks to see an oncologist, when he was given even less time to live.

Ashton said work was under way with Te Aho o Te Kahu | The Cancer Control Agency to implement the government's increased access to cancer medicines.

The first new medicines were released in October, with further new treatments made available on 1 November.

Cancer services across the motu were currently actively recruiting additional staff to support this change, he said.

NZ oncologist appointed director for Union for International Cancer Control

Local oncologist Professor Chris Jackson has been selected as a board director for the Union for International Cancer Control.

He becomes the first New Zealand-based clinician to be nominated or selected for the UICC - he has also been appointed as the co-lead for cancer on Health New Zealand's National Clinical Network.

"It's a huge honour to have been elected to the board of directors of the UICC, which will help us connect better with cancer leaders worldwide, learn from other countries, and share some of the things that we do well," Professor Jackson said.

"The newly formed National Clinical Network is a fantastic opportunity to help improve the quality of cancer care, and work towards our goal of better, faster cancer care, closer to home.

"The disestablishment of district health boards has presented us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get rid of the postcode lottery of cancer care. I can't wait to get stuck in." Jackson said.

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