Cynthia Busuttil
€70,000 to save woman's life
Herceptin is not free for women with advanced breast cancer
A year after rejoicing at the arrival of free Herceptin, a cancer victim is forced to consider selling her house to pay for new medication after the cancer reappeared.
"I have to pay €70,000 in a year because the government does not fund this new drug. I don't know how I will manage to find that money," the mother-of-one, who did not want to be named, said.
Last December, the same woman had dubbed the arrival of the first batch of government-funded Herceptin as "a Christmas present". But this year, she is facing a different reality after being prescribed stronger medication. Gone is the hope of some financial respite for medications, which she needs to recover.
The problem, according to Action For Breast Cancer co-founder Helen Muscat, is that it is government policy not to pay for most of the drugs cancer patients need when they go through a relapse.
In fact, the issue revolves around the fact that there is a capped budget for such drugs.
When asked to comment about this woman's case, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Joseph Cassar, said: "We are prioritising according to the budget. Everyone is at heart."
But Ms Muscat insisted: "We still have a long way to go".
When contacted, Oncology Department chairman Stephen Brincat said attempts were made to include cancer patients in research projects to allow them to avail of free drugs.
The 44-year-old patient has already had to postpone the start of her treatment, partly because she was unable to come up with the money and also because of the need for more tests.
"I have met many people who are suffering because they found themselves in the same situation, needing medicines that are very expensive. I try not to stay in the waiting room at the hospital because these stories break my heart.
"I met a man who had to sell his house and moved to a rented three-roomed apartment in order to be able to pay for his cancer treatment," she said.
"I will fight with my last ounce of strength but the government needs to look at paying for these very expensive drugs rather than spend money on opening squares," she said, referring to the newly-refurbished St George's Square, in Valletta, which cost €85,000 to inaugurate.
"Medicines can save lives. What is essential, people's lives or a lot of superfluous projects" the patient, who has a young child, asked.
She discovered that the cancer had resurfaced in September when she went to a private hospital for a PET (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) scan, for which she had to fork out €1,700.
"At least the cancer was caught early," she said.
But she worries for other patients who might not afford the money needed for the scan. The government has already promised to install a PET scan, which shows how tissues are functioning, making it an important tool in cancer management.
The woman has already had to mortgage her house to get the money needed for the year-long course of Herceptin, which she started at the end of 2007 and cost her about €42,000. In fact, when the government-funded batch arrived she was at the end of her treatment and only needed one final dose.
Each vial of the potentially life-saving drug costs €535 and some women will need several every three weeks. The patient had received some help from the Malta Community Chest Fund but this did not cover the full amount and she only received the money in return for receipts.
"There is a limit as to what the MCCF can do to help," she admitted.
Despite the excitement surrounding the arrival of government-funded Herceptin, last May The Sunday Times had revealed that a number of women with advanced breast cancer were not being given the drug for free because the protocol determines that it is for patients with early breast cancer following surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The Action For Breast Cancer had said it was not happy with the situation.
Ms Muscat said several drugs, which have been used in other countries for many years, were still not available for free in Malta. "We are still way behind and not in line with other European countries," she said.
Ms Muscat, who is also a member on the board of the Malta Health Network, said the problem did not solely lie with cancer medicines and some 300 drugs needed government funding across the board in Malta.
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26 Comments
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Joe Portelli
Dec 27th 2009, 13:50
It would surely expose the well meaning of the people that made comments on this story, with regards to money to save patients with cancer , by asking they should offer of gift of 10 euros for each comment. I doubt how many would, all they are interested is slagging each others systems or country just becasue of their experience.
Please let it be known, that whilst what was written below may well be individual cases & experience, many Maltese lives have been saved in UK hospitals and still are. So there are no perfect systems anywhere. The NHS in UK is overloaded, because its FREE. Anything that is FREE is abused in all countries. In France they have a no Blame compensation system at the workplace and many workers claim they got hurt at work, basically another abused system and so on.
Hercepton costs (that;s the subject) could be negotiated by Health Care Industries including NHS and its equivalent in all EU states and prices could be drastically reduced and patients would have access. Otherwise, governments must allow tax relief (re imburse all paid tax) for anyone dignosed with ailment requiring expensive treatment. Stop the quasi racial undertones please.
GiovDeMartino@Susan Parson
Dec 27th 2009, 10:23
Shame, Shame,Shame on the health service in the UK. "":Cancer care in Chaoes...patients denied treatment and left to die..up tp 1300 cancer patients have been condemned to an early grave....IN TH E UK (Daily Express Page 1 Aug 11th 2008) There are some watds in UK hospitals which are known as the WARDS OF SHAME bec of the dirt, lack of hygiene and irresponsible beh of the staff. Thousands of patients IN THE UK die bec of carelessness on the part of the med. authority, lack of hygiene and late/bad diagnoses...You can read these ion the british press.
lgalea
Dec 27th 2009, 09:08
Rita Caruana
You are perfectly correct. Every decent country should first provide work and all necessities and then for foreigners. Notwithstanding that we are the smallest most overpopulated country in Europe, we are getting a lot of foreign workers and settlers while thousands of our own citizens are unemployed.
Ruby Jenner
The Maltese who are in other countries went there because those countries wanted immigrants, they went there already trained and were also tested when they arrived, they passed strict medical examinations and were never leeches on those countries social security and health services. The illegal immigrants we get are only economic migrants and yes, they should not even be allowed to set foot in Malta but their boats turned around to go back from where they left. This also applies to foreign settlers and workers. As you say in England, charity begins at home and no country should allow foreign workers and settlers until all its citizens are fully employed, let alone tiny Malta.
People should by now have realized what eu membership means and should get together to leave the eu and do what is necessary to keep Malta for the Maltese.
Pete Sanders Brrrrrrrrrrr
Pete Sanders
Dec 26th 2009, 19:36
Well said kenneth my son, go on give'em some stic..i bet the Maltese wish they too had a white Christmas? Be honest=======Yes?
Galea. L
Dec 26th 2009, 18:28
Ken Pearce
It's your choice. Continue enjoying your freeze. Happy New Year.
Joe Portelli
Dec 26th 2009, 18:01
What price is someones life? What proce is treatment to try and pro long someones life?
I know if it was my life I would value it at everything I have and everythinh I could beg, steal or borrow. I would hasten to add I would value everyone else's life as I do mine.
This lady like all ill patients who require medicine that may seem expensive, but save lives, must be supported without having to worry about costs.
70 K euro is the price of a good BMW - can we really say a Car is of more value than someones life ? Or a house for that matter ?
I say Treatment First, at any costs and payment afterwards and when appropriate , but again supported by the various organisation both from Gove, NGO and Insurances.
However, always be aware, before you go on the next show-off holiday, think and say could I spend my money better, like insurance, medical checks etc. Because it has become too common that we spend ten of thousands on houses, cars, weddings, holidays but would expect the doctor to treat us free, Value your life FIRST.
Ken Pearce
Dec 26th 2009, 17:01
Did u say exporting some sunshine to us in Britain? What at your ridiculous prizes you people charged us over xmas> no way Pedro. besides it nice to see snow on the ground and have a wonderfful white Xmas, that my friend isa real christmas feeling and not sunshine, by the time you blokes dish out the xmas pudding the whole think would be melted in that sun of yours. No but no thanks Pal. However it would be nice to know if the Maltese will be reducing their prices next year, then mybe we will return. Have a Properous New Year (lower your hotel/restaurant prices).
Ray Buhagiar
Dec 26th 2009, 16:13
@s pace
Your argument is somewhat contradictory: In the first paragraph you rightly say that projects are needed but the way they are managed need to be scrutinized. I agree 110%
Then in the 2nd paragraph you lambasts the shipping industry because management was inefficient. The shipping industry is needed to bring foreign money. and as you said it had to be scrutinized and rather than dissolving it we shoulkd have found ways to diversify.
Galea. L
Dec 26th 2009, 15:44
John&sue.Parsons
Maybe we should start exporting packets of our sunshine to you in England to warm you a bit from your deep freeze?
lgalea
Dec 26th 2009, 15:38
Ray Buhagiar
Those City Gate projects are not only not useful but are vandalism of our capital city. As regards the upgrading of the Palace Square, it is something which is done in all the other countries without any fanfare and yet the Gonzi Government spent thousands of euros for a week-long celebration. This is apart from removing a national monument commemorating our fallen because that monument was made by a Labour Government. Simply hatred Ray.
Energy infrastructure is going to cost an arm and a leg because no real maintenance and upgrading has been done throughout the years and what upgrading is going to be done now will cost more apart from the controversy of the extension of the Delimara power station for which the arrogant Gonzi Government has chosen one of the most polluting machinery at 200 million euros and 4 million COMMISSION when we could have used diesel or gas and when in 1914/15 we shall have to change it to gas operation at a further cost of some 30 million euros and further COMMISSIONS.
Garry Debono NSW It is not the anti-British brigade Garry. We have gross mismanagement of our taxes.
s pace
Dec 26th 2009, 15:26
Forgoing capital projects is not the solution. Scrutinising every cent of them, weeding out any corruption that goes with them and coming down hard on abusive practices and overrunning deadlines, is the solution.
Shipping industry, Mr. Buhagiar? It lost us taxpayer Lm18 million, due to the incompetence of a politically appointed (foreign) management, and lack of ministerial scrutiny on the same project. Which the government was bound to scrutinise. Now you may tell us, how much medicine one would have bought with such a money?
There is a high percentage of political responsability in this state of affairs.
Ray Buhagiar
Dec 26th 2009, 14:03
@Igalea: As usual, you bring in partisan politics in your arguments which unfortunately fail to impress. The projects that you mentioned are as important as maintaining roads because they are useful to enhance the tourism industry which in other articles some are saying that we (the Maltese not PN or PL)are not doing enough. And what about the energy infrastructure. Here we also need to invest millions of euros, because come summer we will grumble with the first powercut as well as causing damages to industry. Your argument would have been justified if you mention the lack of foreign investment in Malta. But who would invest if the infrastructure in Malta is lacking. I consider Malta as one big company with interdependent departments. Now Igalea which department should we prioritize first and how much should we spend in each?: Health, Education + Research, Infrastructure, Energy, Tourism, IT, Shipping Industry.....Now that is the whole picture (in my opinion of course).
dorothy Blake
Dec 26th 2009, 13:49
Sue Parsons,
Of course you live in England - that accounts for pyour rather childish insult of my name. Was it too cold for you to spend Christmas in England?
I am sure the Maltese people will welcome you back should you wish to grace the islands with your presence in the future.
Happy and peaceful New Year to everyone.
Garry Debono NSW
Dec 26th 2009, 13:41
As usual the anti British Brigade are at again, but then again who can blame them, i do admit they think that they are God's gift to this earth, but then again the question here is the article above and the women in question, now be honest what would you do had the shoe been on the other foot, in others words if it were you or a member of your family who is not well off? we all want to live at least i do, and i sincerely hope that these women will reveive ther treatment as Maltese citizens, after all we have come a long way since 1940 and now we are all well advanced and certainly not a poor country. I hope the medical authority will show some respect and start the new year 2010 in the right footing. Happy New Year to all the Maltese of Malta u Ghawdex. from Down Under Australia. G'day.
Rita Mallia
Dec 26th 2009, 13:31
Dorothy Blake>>> firstly have a nice xmas and a happy new year especially if you live here in Malta, yes i do agree Britain is all talk & no action, i actually lived there for a while but never again, i hated the place, i disliked most of the British mainly the upper lip English la di das who think that anything outside the borders of England is alien and foreign, and to top it all up the cold, miserable grey sky, what i hated most is that people over there just don't have the time to even say good morning or good evening.As for their *NHS two words. It stinks, however i agree with you 250% - that we in Malta have the best Hospice and medical staff that are dedicated to their work 24x7 and needless to say the finest and the best system in the world, here my dear people do care unlike the British they are dropping off like flies, and where else as you rightly say walk the street without any hinderence(maybe one or two light incidents mainly mainly commited by foreigners who take us for a soft touch-country). GoodBye.
lgalea
Dec 26th 2009, 13:14
Ray Buhagiar
How about looking the picture where most of all Maltese citizens are overtaxed for the Gonzi Government to squander our taxes on petty things as spending thousands of euros because a square was given a face-lift and removing a national monument in the process, awarding himself and his ministers Lm125 SALARY INCREASE PER WEEK, vandalizing Valletta with his new parliament on stilts as used by clowns, a roofless theatre, a breach in the walls of a fortified city, wasting millions on illegal immigrants against the peoples wishes instead of sending them back to their own countries.....
The list of squandering of our taxes by Gonzi is endless Ray.
L.Vella I don't know if it's true, but the story going round is that PBS and the presenter media company used to get 50% of all money collected.
Suzanne Parson
while not in the least excusing all our shortcomings which have developed during PN administrations, do you have waiting lists in the UK? Do you have to wait for your turn when you visit a hospital? Do you really think that we do not read the news on all the media on health problems in the UK?
John&sue.Parsons
Dec 26th 2009, 13:07
With due respect mssrs*.Dorothy Blake we actually do live in England and not in Malta, thought i let you know before u jump in head first, we are here only thank christ for the xmas.period.
Tally Ho Dorothy don't forget toto., in the mean time me and my sexy hubby will follow the yellow brick wall.
Dorothy Blake
Dec 26th 2009, 10:57
Suzanne Parsons.
Remove rose coloured glasses! When were you last in a UK hospital? Mater Dei puts major hospitals in Uk to shame. and as for expensive drugs- do you think you would get these in Uk. Not a chance unless you really lucky to live in right area. At least here ALL patients have same rules. As an ex pat you know that you could not get free drugs in Uk and would have to wait for ever to see a specialist. Interesting that some expats sing the praises of UK but choose to live abroad. Could it be that it is because it is safer, warmer and much friendlier than "home". I miss the England I left several years ago but that country is long dead. Malta is not perfect but at least I am not afraid to go out after dark!
Ray Buhagiar
Dec 26th 2009, 10:18
Seeing the whole picture: Whilst everyone would be emotional about the issue of not having money to buy cancer drugs for relapse, we must not forget that the as regards diagnostic equipment government desperately needs to buy at least 2 MRI scanners, 1 PET scanner, maintain a breast screening programme (including biopsies), equip and maintain mater dei hospital to diagnose and treat the other pathologies, equip and maintain the health centres to provide 24/7 medical services and at the same type keep taxes as low as possible. Please have a good look at the whole picture.
L.Vella
Dec 26th 2009, 03:10
Interesting article, but one wonders whether it is full of half truths. What exactly was the contribution of the Community Chest Fund? It is normally 50%. Was it less in this case? What was the Church's contribution? None? Really? How much was the contribution of relatives and friends? Usually, this is quite high. What is the lifestyle of the person concerned like? Is it true that the house was mortgaged?
Whilst sympathising with EVERY person who is sick, one most not portray the situation in Malta for what it is not. The Maltese pay a lof of taxes to sustain a very good medical system and contribute very generously to help bridge the gap between state provision and exraordinary costs. The Church too digs deep into the contributions of its members to help out even financially in such cases. Why not give it credit?
But in these circumstancs lifestyles also need to change a bit, at least in deference to the many who contribute a lot from the little they have. Dd they change in this case?
Claire Busuttil
Dec 26th 2009, 02:06
This is not a singular case unfortunaley of patients, not being helped as it should be in our country. This is a very serious issue, health should be the priority above eveything....our taxes should be going for these things, and not for some ministers`cars!!
Dr.Cassar- What about this patient was a close relative of yours?? do you think like this before speaking about priorities????You are there to SERVE your country , if you are not capable of dealing with these issues..., just resign. We deserve better!
Suzanne Parson
Dec 26th 2009, 00:29
Disgusting SHAME ON THE MALTESE so called National Health Service.. we have always maintained that we in Britain have the best national Health service in the world and this article proves our point to the hilt, this is why most of us ex-pats rely on our Health service back in the UK and not in your country, We are not talking about the waitng list now but the Free National treatment for the most needed. Happy New Year.
John Atkins
Dec 25th 2009, 09:00
I do not understand how at this day and time the state does not support cancer patients all the way through. Everybody knows it is very expensive, yet I bless every cent that I pay in taxes for such cause
Galea. L
Dec 25th 2009, 08:55
marthese mussett
Collecting money for political parties has got nothing whatsoever to do with such cases. The citizens pay taxes through their nose, income tax and NI contributions????? are even deducted from wages and salaries before you get your cheque.
The GOVERNMENT is responsible to provide whatever citizens need for their health, so it is the GOVERNMENT that is shirking its responsibility and duty towards its citizens while wasting millions on useless and petty things such as parties because a square had been refurbished, using gas-guzzling posh cars, The Prime Minister etc awarding themselves a LM125 SALARY INCREASE PER WEEK and other excesses.
Collections for citizens to be able to afford medicine for their health should never be made but the GOVERNMENT must provide it.
SHAME AND SHAME AGAIN FOR AN IRRESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT THAT LEAVES ITS CITIZENS WITHOUT THEIR BASIC NECESSITIES WHILE INDULGING IN EXCESSES FOR ITS FAT CATS.
marthese mussett
Dec 25th 2009, 00:39
Why can t money be collected for her,instead of giving it to political parties?Get your priopities right!!
Frank Muscat
Dec 24th 2009, 10:58
What a heart-rendering front-page Report regarding a cancer patient who is being forced to selling her house to pay for new medication after the cancer reappeared. There is no doubt that the Ministry for Health has it priorities wrong with regard to the treatment of cancer patients.
In July 2007, the Ministry of Health published its National Cancer Plan for the Maltese Islands. To date, the public has been left in the dark about progress made regarding service-delivery, what is not working well in implementation, what can be done to make it work better and what the priority strategies are for the coming years.
As I stated in my Talking Point article of March 6, 2009: "The war on cancer is neither won by politicians making hollow pre-electoral promises nor by the ministry responsible for health adopting half-baked piecemeal policies and neither by the present Administration blindly yielding to media coverage and NGO's pressure to deliver the much-need services".
The Action for Breast Cancer director, the indefatigable Ms. Muscat should leave no stone unturned to ensure that the said patient's rights for survival are respected by the Ministry for Health. Part 2 will clarify.