40010 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

40010 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: What progress, if any, has been made in the last quarter (January to March 2024) to ‘Develop fast-tracked diagnostic pathways for priority cancers’ under Outcome 4: New Zealanders have better cancer survival, supportive care and end-of-life care, as part of the New Zealand Cancer Action Plan 2019 – 2029?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that progress against this action in the January to March 2024 quarter included: - Sign off of the Lung Cancer Pathway, which provides direct access to CT. - Work on the Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Pathway neared completion. - Launch of FIT for Symptomatic Project (FSP) which will roll out the use of a FIT test for non-urgent symptomatic patients awaiting colonoscopy, and new referrals with lower GI symptoms, to support early diagnosis of bowel cancer. - The national PET-CT indication list and criteria was updated. This will help address geographical differences by ensuring national consistency for access to PET-CT scans. - Work continued on the National Cancer Clinical Network. In addition, in March I announced changes to the National Travel Assistance Scheme that significantly improve travel support for rural and complex care patients, including those who need to access cancer diagnostics and treatment.