Chemotherapy Patients Low Dosage Was No Mistake

Toowoomba Hospital doctors were acting in the best interests of patients by administering a lower dosage of chemotherapy to them, says Health Minister Cameron Dick.

Mr Dick says staff have done nothing wrong in giving the patients the lower dosage.

Since 2009, 47 cancer patients were given the lower dosage of an oral drug.

The hospital was the only one in the state to use a different protocol.

The Health Minister says that there is no evidence that the local protocol used caused harm to any patient.

“These were palliative care patients and physicians used the local protocol as a starting point to elevate symptoms of their terminal cancer while keeping side effects of chemotherapy in check.  It is an important balance to get right and I think anyone in the community who has a family member affected by cancer knows that affect chemotherapy can have on those individuals.”