N.Z. ‘treated as another state’ over transplants

Press, 22 October 1986, Page 3

N.Z. ‘treated as another state’ over transplants

PA Wellington New Zealanders needing heart transplants are likely to be granted the same access to Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital as Australians, says the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett. Dr Bassett said yesterday that the Australian Federal Government was negotiating with state Governments on access to the hospital, and New Zealand was “being treated as just another state.” The Minister attended a Commonwealth Health Ministers’ meeting in the Bahamas this month where he discussed heart transplants with Australian delegates and earlier met American experts. He said the new status

was likely to result in “better financial arrangements” for patients. The cost of performing transplants was going down and Australian authorities were optimistic that the surgery could be brought down to between sAust2o,ooo and sAust2s,ooo ($24,000 to $30,000) in the next few years, Dr Bassett said. Even if a Cardiac Review Committee — due to report to the Government at the end of this year — recommended heart transplants be performed in New Zealand, he doubted whether enough operations could be performed in this country. There would have to be a relationship with St Vincent’s Hospital for some time. Dr Bassett said Americans estimated that only

five suitable donors per million people could be found for heart transplants because of the difficulty of matching patient and donor. That would mean New Zealand was likely to find enough donors to perform only 15 heart transplants, he said. “I even have my doubts about 15,” Dr Bassett said. The United States had more car accidents from which donors could be found, and there was greater public awareness in that country about the need for donors. Dr Bassett said American driver’s licences allowed holders to specify that in the case of an accident their organs, such as their heart or kidneys, could be used for transplant. He was in favour of the introduction of such a system in New Zealand, and he would discus the possibility with the Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble. Asked if donor hearts could be imported from Australia if transplants were allowed in New Zealand, Dr Bassett said it was technically possible. A heart could be kept going for at least five hours after removal. But the American experience was that it was better to have the donor and patient in the same place so that the same surgeon could supervise the removal and transplant. Because of the likely shortfall in donors if transplants started in New Zealand, he would like to see trust funds set up to raise money, allow for the operation being done in Australia or New Zealand, depending on which proved more suitable at the time. Dr Bassett said the review committee, headed by a former Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Henry Lang, was due to report before Christmas. He would be surprised if it did not indicate that heart transplants should eventually be done in New Zealand. Dr Bassett did not know if it would recommend where a heart transplant unit could be established. The likely criteria would be a centre where there was maximum experience of performing organ transplants. It was “quite possible” Auckland would be a candidate, but there was adequate experience in two other centres. Dr Bassett said the life expectation of a heart transplant patient was ! going up all the time.