Bowel Cancer New Zealand says Te Whatu Ora is reintroducing the postcode lottery for healthcare, after it paused regular surveillance colonoscopies for people in Manawatū-Whanganui.
The preventative checks have been instrumental in helping to improve the outcomes of those at risk of bowel cancer – the second deadliest cancer in New Zealand.
More than 800 patients in Manawatū-Whanganui are affected. They received a letter last month saying their regular check-ups would be on hold until further notice because the system is at capacity.
Among them is Malcolm Mulholland, a well-known patient advocate from Palmerston North who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and has had polyps in the past.
“In my most recent colonoscopy I was found to have a high-grade dysplasia which means I’m at risk of having bowel cancer,” Mulholland said.
While he is meant to have colonoscopies yearly, his next one in April will not be going ahead.
“When I received the letter, I felt sick,” he said. “I felt sick because I knew this decision would lead to people dying.”
Professor Frank Frizelle, a medical adviser at Bowel Cancer NZ, said the decision is short-sighted and puts people’s lives at risk.
“With bowel cancer, the earlier you find it, the more likely you are to survive. But also, practically, the cheaper it is to treat,” he said.
He said Te Whatu Ora’s decision to pause regular surveillance colonoscopies “is disadvantaging patients that we know have a higher risk and therefore are susceptible and not really looking at the whole picture of what treatment involves with bowel cancer”.
Woman eight months overdue for check-up
Emma, who recently moved from the Bay of Plenty to Palmerston North, is now eight months overdue for her surveillance colonoscopy.
She has a genetic condition called Lynch syndrome, which means she has a high risk of developing bowel cancer.
“That has concerned me, wondering when I will be seen and now this letter comes that these surveillance colonoscopies will be on hold indefinitely; there’s no guarantee they’ll be reinstated,” she said.
She’s considering her options, such as paying for the procedure privately or moving to another region.
Mulholland plans to pay $3000 to have his next colonoscopy done privately.
But not everyone will be able to afford it, so he’s organising a public meeting to come up with a plan.
“For those of us who can afford, that’s the path we will take. But for those who can’t, we will either be looking at fundraising or going to back to the public system and saying ‘because we’ve identified a reduced list, do you have the ability to see these patients?'”
Te Whatu Ora working to manage increased demand
Te Whatu Ora said it’s working to manage the increased demand, including adding extra clinic sessions and doing some private outsourcing, but it’s still not enough.
“We will be reviewing the waitlist monthly to manage how long patients have been waiting for their coloscopies and we will have an update for patients on our next steps in May 2025,” Te Whatu Ora group director operations MidCentral, Sarah Fenwick, said.
Fenwick said patients will be booked in priority order when capacity allows it.
The pause does not impact the national bowel screening programme in the MidCentral region or symptomatic colonoscopies.
