Close to 20 patients most diagnosed with cancer were approved by the Cabinet to receive medical treatment overseas. 

This was confirmed by Acting Prime Minister Faualo Harry Schuster. He said seven patients were approved in the last Cabinet meeting and the rest the previous week. 

Faualo said most patients whose treatment cost is covered by the government under the overseas medical scheme have cancer and or heart problems. 

They will be going to New Zealand for cancer treatment. For heart surgeries, the patients will go to India where the surgery is cheaper and the procedure is good. 

The funding for the recently approved referrals will come from the $6 million budgetary allocation for the scheme in the 2024-2025 financial year. 

According to Faualo, the patients going under the scheme are those who cannot be treated locally. 

In the previous year, the government committed $5 million for the overseas medical scheme and the demand for people needing treatment overseas saw the figure go up by $1 million this year. 

Meanwhile, Faualo’s acting Prime Minister portfolio finished on Tuesday with the arrival of Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa from New Zealand. 

Faualo said not much happened during his acting roles. He said there were a lot of requests for overseas treatment. 

Cabinet Ministers who have been away on duty travel and attending the Fa’atuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) anniversary celebration are back in country this week.