Bone unit decision soon

Press, 14 August 1982, Page 6

Bone unit decision soon

PA . Wellington The Health Department would decide by the end of the -year where to site a national bone marrow transplant unit, said the department's director of hospitals, Dr Thomas Lawrie, yesterday.

A Mataura bby, Gareth Cotton, aged five.'has to be taken to Sydney for a lifesaving transplant because neither the Auckland nor North Canterbury hospital boards will accept patients from outside their areas.

Both boards say they are, unable to perform surgery on patients from outside their areas without additional funding. .

Dr Lawrie said that it was estimated about 15 cases in New Zealand would require bone marrow transplants each year. In the last 12 months, five such operations were carried out in North Canterbury and one in Auckland. '. “Because of the intensive staffing required, the boards reluctantly had to restrict operations to. those living within their areas,” Dr Lawrie said.

“Bone marrow transplants require intensive staffing and use of blood prod nets and laboratory tests, rather than expensive technology,”. Dr Lawrie said. "This means staff must be withdrawn

from other areas. The number of such operations done in Auckland and Christchurch at the moment is limited to what the hospital boards feel they can manage.” : -

The associate professor of haematology ' at the Otago University. Medical School, Professor J. E. Pettit, will return in the next few days from overseas where he has been investigating the working of bone marrow transplant units.

Professor Pettit would report his findings to the Hospitals Advisory Council which would make a recommendation to the Minister of Health, Dr Lawrie said.

The feasibility of establishing; a unit would be considered along with other specialist services, as part of the three-yearly funding package approved by the Government outside of regular; hospital allocations, Dr Lawrie said. Meanwhile, efforts are continuing in Mataura to raise money to help meet the Cotton family’s expenses in Australia. The Mataura Lions Club said its appeal has already raised $lBB5. The Social Welfare Department has offered the Cottons a $20,000 grant and the Lions hope to raise $15,000.