NZ Pathology Backlog Threatens Cancer Wait Times

A 30-Specialist Shortage Compounds Diagnostic Bottlenecks

Kenwright warned that while laboratories prioritize cases involving suspected cancer, undiscovered malignancies risk sitting unexamined in piles of slides, creating a severe operational traffic jam. Although urgent cases should ideally be processed within 48 hours, current diagnostic turnaround times stretch up to two weeks. Slides containing biopsied tissues sit in unexamined piles because laboratories lack sufficient staff at the bench to examine samples under microscopes. The RCPA reports that the sector is already short by 30 specialists. The diagnostic strain builds as the Government expands national screening initiatives. This Wednesday, the age for free bowel screening drops to 56, while an additional 786,000 women become eligible for free cervical screening in March. When procedures such as colonoscopies are performed, anatomical pathologists must study the tissue samples on paper-thin strips under microscopes to determine malignancy.

Funding Boosts Deliver Procedures But Miss Laboratory Benches

Health Minister Simeon Brown announced that the Government exceeded delivery targets with 89,039 procedures completed across radiology, colonoscopy, cardiac, and colposcopy services, backed by a $65 million funding boost distributed last year. However, Kenwright noted that pathologists received no additional funding or resources to accelerate diagnosis. It’s just moving the waitlist, Kenwright said. Funding extra procedures translates to more biopsies arriving at the laboratory bench, but nobody funded people at the bench. While Kenwright expressed support for expanded screening measures, she emphasized that not one dollar was allocated for the pathologists handling the influx. Without immediate intervention, the college warns that the current five-week wait for biopsy results will lengthen significantly. The worst-case scenario, observed in overseas healthcare systems, involves patients waiting up to three months for diagnostic outcomes—a situation Kenwright described as disastrous.

Government Dialogue Continues as Training Demands Await Action

To support the Government’s screening initiatives, the RCPA urged Minister Brown to immediately fund 23 pathology training positions at an annual cost of $3.7 million. Francis Cox-Wright, the RCPA’s policy and advocacy manager, stated that the costed staffing proposal was submitted to Health New Zealand (HNZ) almost a year ago. The college was subsequently informed that immediate expansion funds were unavailable. It’s a relatively small investment to ensure that the diagnostic engine of our health service actually works, Kenwright said. In response to inquiries, Minister Brown acknowledged that pathologists play an essential role and that expanded screening initiatives will increase laboratory demands. Regarding the lack of specific funding, he stated that Health New Zealand is actively discussing funding requirements with pathologists to understand and confirm their needs. Brown encouraged the college to continue its engagement with HNZ so patients receive results as quickly as possible, though he did not commit to funding the training positions requested by the RCPA.