The Government’s long-awaited response to the Senate Inquiry into Equitable access to diagnosisthe process of identifying a disease based on signs and symptoms, patient history and medical test results and treatment for people with rare and less common cancers is finally here – and while recognition is a step forward, action must now follow.
Rare Cancers Australia (RCA) welcomes the acknowledgment of the systemic barriers facing people with rare and less common cancers and the Government’s continued commitment to equity in cancera disease where abnormal cells split without control and spread to other nearby body tissue and/or organs care. The endorsement — full or in-principle — of 31 out of 41 recommendations is an important step for the rare community.
We also welcome the recommitment to delivering important initiatives including the Health Technology Assessment Review, the National Optimal Care Pathway Framework, the updated National Health Genomics Policy Framework, and the Australian Cancer Nursing and Navigation Program. RCA is proud to have partnered on the development of each of these critical areas of reform and we are appreciative of the Government’s support and prioritisation and hope that it continues.
But what is disappointing, is that this response delivers no new commitments to address the deep inequities that the Committee called out.
“This is an opportunity for the Government to push further on policies to address systemic inequities, including barriers in accessing medicines, low financial support for patients who travel for treatment, and inequitable access to timely diagnosis and cancer tests,” said RCA CEO, Christine Cockburn.
“The Senate Inquiry was a landmark moment in elevating the challenges facing people with rare and less common cancers and urgency of change. We will keep working with Government and the rare community to ensure the Committee’s assessment and recommendations shape future policy decisions and urgent action.
“Next week, on the eve of our flagship patient advocacy event CanForum at Parliament House, we will launch our latest policy report: Now It’s personal: access and equity for all. This report builds on the Inquiry’s findings and puts forward clear, actionable recommendations for improving access and equity for people with rare cancers. It will be front and centre throughout CanForum, where the rare cancer community will gather with stakeholders to inspire decisive action.
“We look forward to welcoming Minister Mark Butler who will address the forum and we welcome further insights to the Government’s support for the Senate Inquiry report. The momentum is building to change the story for rare cancers. For the tens of thousands of Australians impacted by rare and less common cancers, equity is not an aspiration — it is what we expect. And it’s time for policy to enable that,” Ms Cockburn concluded.
Read the Government’s response to the Senate Inquiry recommendations here.
RCA Media Contact: Alicia Ballesty, Head of Strategic Communications, 0499 880 742, [email protected]