Hospitals may apply for tumour-cutting machine

Press, 16 June 1983, Page 24

Hospitals may apply for tumour-cutting machine

PA Wellington The Minister of Health, Mr Malcolm, has said that he would consider with sympathy requests by hospitals that want to buy their Own tumour-removal equipment. Such equipment was used to remove a spinal tumour from Michael Burnett, aged three, who was flown to New York earlier this year for such surgery. Wellington neurosurgeons have said they could perform the operation and others like it, if they had the right instruments. The surgical aid has a probe that enters the tu-

mour, dissects it from the inside and then sucks it out without doing too much damage to surrounding tissue. It is particularly useful for tumours in areas such as the spine and the brain. The Wellington Hospital surgeons believe it could be used to treat 90 patients a year. Mr Malcolm said an application to purchase the machine would be likely to be treated sympathetically because the equipment was relatively inexpensive and would not add to the running costs of a neurosurgi-

cal unit. Wellington Hospital’s latest estimate puts the cost at $116,000. The Government paid $113,000 to send Michael Burnett to the United States. The boy, admitted to Wellington Hospital on his return home more than six weeks ago, is still in a fair condition in one of the hospital’s children’s wards.