$24m for new Geelong centre: Cancer ‘boost’

HAMISH BROOKS
A $26 million funding injection will establish a new cancer treatment centre at Geelong Hospital, Federal Government has announced.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the facility would strengthen Geelong’s position as the central health care provider for south-west Victoria.
Most of the money would go toward a new building on the site of Geelong Hospital Library, she said.
Ms Roxon officially announced the funding after a tour of the hospital’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre.
“The hub of the new cancer service in Geelong will include radiation therapy facilities, a new 32-bed oncology ward, a 24-bed palliative care ward and 20 new accommodation units,” she said.
The funding package would also build supported accommodation units for cancer patients in Warnambool, additional consulting suites in Hamilton and a day unit for chemotherapy at Portland.
Andew Love Cancer Centre medical oncology director Professor David Ashley said the funding would make a “huge difference for cancer sufferers in the region”.
“Statistics show that people who live in the country who are diagnosed with cancer do not have the same survival rates as those who live in close proximity to Melbourne’s CBD.”
Andrew Love Cancer Centre patient Julia Hodges, 30, of Timboon, praised the announcement.
“I’ve experienced the whole range of wards and stayed overnight in the accommodation the hospital provides,” she said.
“The nature of the disease and its treatment, while varying widely from patient to patient, means repeat and lengthy hospital visits are required. The new facilities will also offer terminally ill patients and their families greater privacy than is currently offered in the Birdsey Wing.”