National MP for Southland Joseph Mooney has written to the Minister of Health asking him to intervene in wait times for oncology radiation in the region.

Last week the Southern District Health Board's (SDHB) waiting list for oncology radiation was 157 people, more than double its ideal waiting list of 70. 

That's is the largest number of people the waitlist has ever seen. The service provides scanning and also radiation treatment.

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On Wednesday, the SDHB moved to outsource, asking other health providers across New Zealand to bid to provide assessment, planning and the subsequent radiation oncology treatment. 

It means up to 200 breast and prostate cancer patients will travel to get the treatment they urgently need.

The length of time people across Southland and Otago have been waiting to receive cancer treatment has been increasing over the last year. 

According to the Ministry of Health, patients referred urgently with a high suspicion of cancer should receive their first treatment within 62 days, but this has only happened for 48 per cent of patients in the past quarter.

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Mooney says: "The situation has got to a point where one radiation oncologist recently described it as being 'shameful and criminal.

"Some Southlanders are waiting months just to see a specialist, and others have reported having to wait six to eight weeks for a CT scan in Dunedin.

"Early diagnosis and early treatment are critical to any patient's chance of beating cancer. Southlanders deserve the best chance they can get, but these delays are hurting them and causing undue distress to their families. 

"Last year during the campaign National committed to improving cancer management with a new cancer agency, local radiotherapy units and faster cancer treatment targets."

Mooney has written to Minister of Health Andrew Little asking him to examine the "extraordinarily long waiting times" and make sure cancer sufferers "receive the care they deserve much faster than they’re currently getting it".

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"The Minister must urgently look into this matter and provide the necessary resourcing to reduce the SDHB’s waiting times."

Southern DHB CEO Chris Fleming, on Wednesday, explained the decision to outsource some scanning and treatment. 

"In recent years we have faced challenges maintaining and growing our service to meet the demand, and existing challenges recruiting locums and senior medical staff have been made even harder due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

"By seeking arrangements with other providers, we want to build a service that is less susceptible to burgeoning wait-lists when we see spikes in demand or need to manage staff absences. 

"We are very concerned about the current wait times some of our patients are experiencing and need to do everything we can to ensure our patients receive their care in a timely manner.”

Fleming says the DHB would not place a limit on the number of patients, or the duration for which it would be utilising services provided by external organisations.

"Our concern is to reduce the waiting lists, so we’ll be seeking additional support for as long as is required to achieve this."

Currently the DHB is offering a number of patients the option of receiving care at St George’s Hospital in Christchurch, focusing on those who have been waiting the longest.

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It has also recruited additional nursing and junior medical staff as part of building the capacity of the internal team.

However, Fleming acknowledges the DHB is limited in how much it can increase local capacity until an additional senior doctor can be recruited to the team, either as a locum or on a permanent basis.

"Recruitment therefore remains an ongoing priority. 

"However, we do not wish to rely on this as a solution, as we are aware we will always face fluctuations in demand and the need to manage staff leave, which is why developing ongoing partnerships is an important strategy."