Herceptin 'should be available' even when cancer reoccurs

A. Attard

Jan 6th 2010, 21:31

Herceptin is unresponsive to more than 80% of people!

With the same reasoning we should invest in medicine that affects and works on only 0.000001% of patients!

There are boundaries and one must prioritize according to the presenting funds.

martin saliba

Jan 6th 2010, 21:28

To all of those who are holding the PL to their alleged promoise and expect a labour goverment , rightly so , to give the medicne to relapsers. I am still waiting to be told who killed Karen Grech and Raymond Caruana as promisesd a week before the 1987 general elections. Are you still waiting too ,or are you PN apologists, and have forgotten cause it siuts you? I am not defending the PL , in fact i used to critisise it quite frequently in Dr. Alfred Sant's days , but some people cant help themselves from bringing politics into every comment that they write. If you want to hold Mr. Farrugia to what he said do it for the good of all Maltese citizens and not for political milage.

mario gellel

Jan 6th 2010, 17:39

@to all
I garantee you that what the PL promisses, he delivers. No turning back or Electoral gimmicks. The only Political party which started Malta from shellform.
What the PL promissed and delivered-- Free Medical care for all,Poor and Rich.
Free Mandatory Education for all,
The best social security system
Affordable housing for all
Decent minimum wage for all
Best companies with best salaries
And the list never ends
So do anybody think that the PL will not meet this challenge ?? Think again .

Paul Ciantar

Jan 6th 2010, 16:44

Hey in cancer there is no politics...... I am nationalist and proud but please I do agree on this issue with labour

Ron Saliba

Jan 6th 2010, 16:42

@M. Galea

Excellent post mate.

A.Gauci Cunningham

Jan 6th 2010, 15:41

@T.Mifsud---Lets hope that the Labour Party would not need to commit itself to giving herceptin to patients whose cancer reoccurs in 2013 as it will be this government who'd realise that the system as it is is leaving a number of very unfortunate patients financially desperate and completely penniless! On a political note I cant help but noticing how demanding you will be of a future Labour administration (something good in itself) I just hope you are as demanding with this administration and you disapprove of the fact that measures which raked hundreds of votes and which had to be introduced in the first budget were not.

Michael Seychell

Jan 6th 2010, 15:13

It is as easy to critisice the Government of the Day who ever that may be - as much as shouting all kind of abuses at players and referee in a Football Match.despite the fact that most of the spectators have never played ball or used a whistle.

Remember that during the MEPs election last June, Dr. Muscat shouted his head off that the PN Government was cruel and heartless because of the energy tariffs. Jason Micallef on a Bondi Plus programme assured all voters that a future Labour Governmant will reduce the electricity tariffs.

After the election, when the M/LP ran over the PN, Joe Muscat PL Leader was asked whether he confirms that a future Labour government will reduce the tariffs. Dr Muscat answered that he cannot make open promises - UPS!.

My Final Comment - Dr. Muscat 's intention is not to win the government in Malta's interest, but for his EGO by becoming the Youngest Prime Minister and EU President, for which he said he is already prepared, albeit he lacks experience as MP, Minister, Prime Minister and even as Opposition Leader!.

A Maltese saying states "MIN JOGHLA HAFNA JISTA JIEHU TISBITA KBIRA"

Michael Seychell
Tal-Pieta

T Mifsud

Jan 6th 2010, 14:29

I think Labour have committed themselves now that they will issue Herceptin free in the first 3 months after being elected not at the end of term! And may I repeat: LABOUR PL not Anglu Farrugia. He spoke as a Labour official and therefore it is Labour. He may resign but Labour are committed!

J. Falzon

Jan 6th 2010, 14:22

@ C Busuttil

"The intervention by Dr Farrugia has been made from a party position on humanitarian basis. " I am sorry but insofar as it remains a personal comment, its value to me as a citizen is approximately zero. Having said that, of course it is a good starting point.

Definitely I would agree that Cancer is certainly far more serious than any road. It is precisely for this reason that I would like to see a 100% committment by the Labour Party as a Party to remedy the situation. Indeed, come election time, it is such issues that I would like to see highlighted in the various manifestos as opposed to the usual claptrap.that is presented for the consumption of "the great unwashed", or more to the point here, cannon fodder - because such issues are truly a matter of life and death.

M. Galea

Jan 6th 2010, 13:42

So will the Labour party, if elected to government, guarantee to give Herceptin for free to patients who need it, irrespective of whether it is a recurrence?

C.Busuttil

Jan 6th 2010, 13:41

@ J.Falzon

The intervention by Dr Farrugia has been made from a party position on humanitarian basis. Hence whilst being sure that people will not forget and will quote Dr Farrugia if he fails to keep his promises if the PL are inGovernment, we must not take this issue on a political bias. This could be a case which may hit you or me or anyone else for the matter (and our loved ones).

This is very different from the case of resurfacing all roads in three particular localities, cancer hits anyone and everyone at any given moment irrispective of wealth, political listing or geographical location.

Let's grow up, open our minds and call a spade a spade. Meantime Dr Farrugia please note you are going down on record on the matter and will surely be reminded on the occurrence at a more opportune time.

Lawrence Gauci

Jan 6th 2010, 13:16

Well said Dr. Farrugia and i'm sure you are the sort of person that keeps his word. I am also sure that when you are in power you will see to such social problems as i know you to be a man of principles and integrity.

M. Galea

Jan 6th 2010, 12:57

Herceptin is not being given to cancer patients when the cancer reoccured simply because there are not enough funds.

And why aren't there enough funds?

Because these are being wasted on single mothers who insist on having more than one kid with an 'unknown father' when most of the time the father is the same in both cases.

Or on those people who go to Hal Far ETC in the BMWs to register for unemployment benefits when they are working on the side without declaring any income/VAT

And then comes Joe Bloggs who religiously contributed towards National Insurance funds, paid taxes without fail and who will endup with a measly €30 a week if unemployed or eventually without a pension.

No further comment.

J Falzon

Jan 6th 2010, 12:15

Right. So much for the rhetoric. Now for the next (and most meaningful) step. Will a Labour Government in office commit to providing this drug free of charge even in such cases ?