BCNA’s State of the Nation report released today

Today the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) released a unique report which looks at 15,000 peoples experiences of living with breast cancer in an effort to get a real world picture of the situation.

The report, conducted over 18 months, highlights some of the key issues still to be addressed in breast cancer treatment in Australia including;

• The availability of services in rural areas,
• Long wait times for breast reconstruction surgery,
• Limited support for those with metastatic (incurable) breast cancer.

BCNA CEO Kirsten Pilatti said the disparity of care in Australia could not be ignored. “The people in this report are not just statistics,” she said. “I travelled around the country and listened to thousands of women and men talk about the challenges they face accessing quality and affordable care.”

The inconsistency of fees for diagnosis, surgery and other treatments across the country is also addressed, as is the high out-of-pocket costs experienced by many with private health care.

BCNA will use the report to discuss these issues with federal and state governments as well as health professionals to address the financial, emotional and service gaps and ensure that patient-centred care informs every decision in health care reform.

You can read the State of the Nation report on the BCNA website: HERE.