The Rudd Government and NSW Government will invest $33.8 million to establish a new, purpose-built regional cancer centre at Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital.
The Rudd Government will provide $23.8 million and the NSW Government will invest a further $10 million for a new regional cancer centre at Nowra that will include:
* One linear accelerator;
* Two radiotherapy bunkers;
* Eight additional chemotherapy chairs;
* Medical diagnostic equipment, including a CT Scanner; and
* A 10-room patient and carer accommodation facility.
With some cancers, patients from rural areas are up to three times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis than their counterparts in urban areas.
The $33.8 million investment in Nowra will work towards improving services and care for the more than 32,000 NSW residents diagnosed with cancer each year.
Once fully operational, these new facilities will allow for an estimated additional 414 radiotherapy patients to access treatment each year, an estimated additional 4,000 chemotherapy treatments each year and additional accommodation places close to Shoalhaven Hospital.
The clinical specialties accommodated will include:
* Medical oncology;
* Clinical haematology;
* Radiation oncology;
* Palliative care;
* Surgical oncology;
* Cancer psychosocial services; and
* Cancer rehabilitation services.
This investment follows the announcement on Friday of $12.1 million from the Rudd Government and an additional $2 million from the NSW Government for the Illawarra Cancer Care Centre at Wollongong.
The investment in Shoalhaven and the Illawarra forms part of the Rudd Government's $560 million commitment to establish regional cancer centres so that Australians can get care closer to home and their community.
Since coming into office, the Government has committed over $2.3 billion in cancer infrastructure, medicines, screening and research.
The NSW Government will maintain and operate the new Shoalhaven Regional Cancer Centre.
The centre will facilitate local care for cancer patients and their families at what can be a stressful time.
The networking of cancer services across Illawarra and Shoalhaven will also mean support for quality research, education and teaching for the local cancer care workforce.
NSW has some of the best outcomes for cancer patients in the world.
Figures released by the Cancer Institute NSW in December show that over the past decade cancer death rates have fallen by 13.8% in men and 7.9% in women for all ages
The new Shoalhaven Regional Cancer Centre will help maintain these excellent outcomes as we respond to an increasing and ageing population.
Congratulations to the Shoalhaven community for its efforts to raise $1 million dollars towards the new centre.