Exclusive
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Interview with mayor.
10 Yr Plan: PAGE 11 Views: PAGE19 Jobs: Page 21
PAGE 5
Women’s 10’s winners Wanaka Pirates win rugby tournament in Queenstown.
PAGE 24
thewanakasun.co.nz
THUR 29.03.18 - WED 04.04.18
DELIVERED AND FREE
EDITION 863
Paralympians welcomed home Hundreds of locals welcomed Paralympians Adam Hall, Corey Peters and Carl Murphy back to Wanaka on Tuesday. After a day of rain, the clouds parted and sun shone on the returned athletes as they made their way from the Lake Wanaka Centre to Cardrona Corner. The men, who all call Wanaka home during the winter season, then spent an hour signing autographs for fans. PHOTO: Nikki Heath
Women miss out on mammograms TURNBULL G GLENDA editor@thewanakasun.co.nz
L
ocal women are struggling to understand the logic behind having to travel to Queenstown to have their biennial mammogram. Until last year, the Breast Bus visited Wanaka for ten weeks every two years. Claire O’Connell contacted BreastScreen South in August 2017 to ask why the Breast Bus still visited Alexandra and Queenstown, but not Wanaka and Cromwell. “Now instead of the Breast Bus making one trip each way to service a number of clients, each client has to individually travel to either Alexandra or Queenstown, taking each of these clients at least two extra hours per trip with all associated costs in time and fossil fuels to get there. A simple solution would be to move the bus to Wanaka and Cromwell for those clients, saving everybody time and money,” Claire said. After several attempts to get a reply, Claire finally received an email on December 22 saying her concerns had been discussed at a
Board meeting on November 29. “It was agreed that this change, while inconveniencing some women for their biennial mammogram, will improve breast images services in the region by providing mammography in this region year round,” Dr Luke Newnham of Breastscreen Otago Southland (BSOS) said. The email advised that a new medical imaging facility was being built at Frankton with an opening date of February 2018. The new facility would initially be a temporary facility, co-located with ultrasound and MRI. Within two to three years it is planned to transfer this equipment to a permanent medical clinic at the same site. BSOS said the advantage with the changes to service would mean Wanaka women would no longer be screened in Wanaka, but the test would be able to be undertaken over the whole year with appointments also available on Saturdays. The email also stated that BSOS would investigate arranging a mini bus to provide free transport from Wanaka to Frankton. The Wanaka Sun contacted BSOS, after Claire was unsatisfied with the explanation
and the time it took for her to get an answer, to ask why Wanaka and Cromwell women had to travel to Frankton for their mammograms. BSOS lead provider manager Joan Miles replied saying the new service was better because it was year round. With regard to assisting with free transport she said, “As advised transport can be organised for women who have difficulty with this. Ideally transport should be coordinated via the general practice who will advise BreastScreen Otago Southland if they have women who need assistance. Mini buses have been successfully organised elsewhere.” With regard to reinstating the Wanaka Breast Bus visits BSOS commented, “Unfortunately it is not feasible to provide a fixed breast screening site in the region and keep the mobile unit visiting.” The Wanaka Sun has brought this problem to the attention of South Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean who said she is concerned about the difficulties faced by Wanaka women in accessing breast screening services. “I acknowledge that the new Frankton service, operational from May, will provide
a year round service. However it concerns me that Wanaka and Cromwell women will have to travel long distances to access it and that some could be jeopardising their health because they are unable to get to their appointments,” Jacqui Dean said. “Since the mobile bus service was discontinued, I understand some Wanaka women have struggled to meet their screening appointments with the three hour round trip to Frankton almost impossible for busy mothers and working women. “It worries me that some women could be sacrificing their health because of the lack of local options and while year-round services are on the way in Frankton they may not suit everyone. “We know that breast cancer waits for no one, so the stakes here are high and I would hate to think that Wanaka and Cromwell women were being disadvantaged.” Mrs Dean said she would be writing to ScreenSouth, which manages mammography services in the lower South Island, to discuss why a mobile mammography bus could not still be made available in Wanaka.
Boundary lines are indicative only
Wanaka 447 Aubrey Road
Wanaka 12 Farrant Drive
Wanaka 31 Kirimoko Crescent
For Sale by Deadline Private Treaty (unless sold prior) 4pm, Thu 19 Apr 2018, 62 Ardmore St, Wanaka bayleys.co.nz/224310
For Sale by Deadline Private Treaty (unless sold prior) 4pm, Fri 27 Apr 2018, 62 Ardmore St, Wanaka bayleys.co.nz/224316
For Sale $629,000 bayleys.co.nz/224286
Sharon Donnelly P 0508 DONNELLY
No.
E sharon.donnelly@bayleys.co.nz
MAT ANDREWS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008
RESIDENTIAL
SALESPERSON
NATIONWIDE 2016 / 2017