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New Zealand First’s Maori spokesperson is accusing Health Minister Jonathan Coleman of ignoring the plight of Maori men with prostrate cancer.
Pita Paraone says just $74,000 of the $950,000 allocated in the 2014/15 budget for raising prostate cancer awareness was actually spent.
He says there is a particular need to fund campaigns targeting Maori men, because they are 72 per cent more likely to die of prostate cancer than non-Maori.
That’s because they are not getting screened for the disease until it’s at an advanced stage.
About 50 Maori men die from the disease each year.
Both the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the health select committee have called for targeted prostate cancer awareness campaign for Maori and rural men.
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