Equity of travel required to access first definitive surgery for liver or stomach cancer in New Zealand

Equity of travel required to access first definitive surgery for liver or stomach cancer in New Zealand

Gurney J, Whitehead J, Kerrison C, Stanley J, Sarfati D, Koea J. Equity

This recent study focuses on travel required for patients to access surgery for liver or stomach cancer in New Zealand, particularly for Māori. Gurney et al. find that that Māori on average travel twice as far for cancer surgery compared to Europeans.

A substantial minority of both Māori and European liver cancer patients must travel more than 200km for their first primary liver surgery, and this situation appears worse for Māori. This research has important implications for rural communities – which have a higher proportion of Māori residents than urban areas – and there are likely to be similar situations with other essential health services.

To help address these inequitable travel barriers to access cancer care, it is recommended that additional support is provided to Māori patients, including financial support, and that Te Whatu Ora consider localising as much service provision as possible.

Read the article here