Lengthy waiting times for chemotherapy

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- New Zealand physicians and health groups say dozens of cancer patients are facing unacceptably long waits for chemotherapy treatment.

The Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Foundation said a medically acceptable waiting time to see a specialist and begin chemotherapy is two to four weeks, but TV New Zealand One News reported many chemotherapy patients must wait for more than two months to receive treatment.

"I think that if someone is diagnosed with cancer they have a reasonable right to care," Auckland Hospital Oncologist Dr. Richard Sullivan told One News.

The lengthy waiting times are blamed on a shortage of cancer nurses and medical oncologists.