PM: It's great to be here in Gosford today, and it's great to be back on the Central Coast with Premier Kristina Keneally. And this is a good day for the people of the Central Coast. Here we have a growing region of some 300,000 people who have a basic ask, which is how do we get better access to cancer services in this region? And the Governments, both the Australian Government and the New South Wales Government, have listened very carefully to what locals have had to say.
And basically, what has taken my attention nationwide on this question is this- in some major categories of cancer, if you happen to live in rural and regional Australia, you are three times more likely to die within the first five years of diagnosis than you are if you live in a major metropolitan centre. That is just wrong. We have to change this for the future. And that is an important message here for the people of the Central Coast. But it's also an important message for people who live in regional Australia right across our country.
That's why together with Kristina Keneally we are today announcing a joint investment of $38.6 million to enhance cancer services here at Gosford, in order to enhance cancer services across the Central Coast. This $38.6 million is comprised of $28.6 from the Australian Government, $10 million from the Government of New South Wales. It is a good example of two Governments working together in such a critical area of health and hospital reform.
Across New South Wales each year, we have something in the order of 32,000 people who are freshly diagnosed with cancer each year. A large number of those folk live in this region. A large number of these folk across our nation, the 100,000 diagnosed each year, live in regional centres. So this is designed to enhance cancer services for them. This new facility at Gosford will include the construction of three radiotherapy bunkers, the installation of two linear accelerators, a CT scanner, an additional five chemotherapy treatment chairs. The funding will also support the enhancement of a multidisciplinary clinic and day oncology unit at Wyong Hospital.
These are important additions to cancer services in this region. Once fully operational, I'm advised that the Central Coast regional cancer service is expected to provide treatment for an additional 828 radiotherapy patients per year, and 2,500 additional chemotherapy treatments per year. These are good developments for this region. And this is just the beginning. We need to do more in the future as well.
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