September 21st, 2007

According to a new report around fifty percent of people in Australia that suffer from the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma, are having to pay out thousands of dollars for treatment, whereas the other fifty percent of sufferers are having the cost of treatment fully subsidized, highlighting an unfair system when it comes to mesothelioma treatment.

The report states that those suffering from the asbestos related cancer in certain parts of the country will have to find around twenty thousand dollars to fund treatment, whereas sufferers in other parts of the country will get their treatment paid for.

One official stated: "If you are unfortunate enough to have this disease and live in Queensland, South Australia Victoria and Tasmania, to pay for this chemothereapy drug it's going to cost you $20,000. If you live in New South Wales and you're an employee, then it's picked up by the Dust Diseases Board here in New South Wales. But if you're the mother or the wife or one of the kids that got exposed in the backyard when dad was cutting it up, then you've got to pay for it yourself."

A doctor also commented on the situation, stating: "Individually I could actually have a situation where I have one patient who has a clearly identifiable asbestos injury that can have a claim and I can offer the treatment to her, and the next patient that rolls in with the same disease who cannot identify that, I cannot be able to offer the treatment to them. I think that's wrong."