Charlotte Varcoe
A $4.3 million cash injection will be redistributed to other cancer services, in lieu of a dedicated radiation therapy service.
According to the Limestone Coast Local Health Network, the funding will instead help deliver a new Integrated Cancer Consult Site with a focus on “increasing services for patients receiving radiation therapy”.
This will include staff areas and a range of consultation rooms with those receiving radiation therapy services in Warrnambool and Adelaide having a dedicated space for radiation oncology clinicians, which will provide face-to-face and telehealth services as part of the cancer care team.
The initial funds were allocated under the previous Federal Government in 2019 with Mount Gambier set to receive radiation therapy specifically, however, they were not approved and could not proceed.
Last week, a letter addressed to Barker MP Tony Pasin from State Minister for Health Chris Picton reaffirmed the radiation therapy service would not go ahead but said the allocated funds would boost cancer services in the region.
Mr Picton said the region would instead benefit from the funds for cancer care improvement, which was now progressing.
Limestone Coast Local Health Network chairman Grant King assured the community the alternative proposal was put forward on the basis of the concerns surrounding the “readiness for actual delivery of radiation therapy”.
“The alternative proposal suggested we increase our capability to deal with cancer patients in terms of their access to oncology and other range of services,” he said.
“We thought at the time that would be a better use of the funding, given that we had a number of questions around actual delivery on radiation therapy.”
Mr King said if the board was “thoroughly convinced” that all necessary clinical, administrative and governance issues were covered and conversations around funding and relationship between parties were well understood it would be considered.
“If radiology is proven to be able to be delivered and funded, then the network is not opposed to any of that,” he said.
“We do have other priorities that we know are services our community needs better access to. That includes respiratory services, diabetes, mental health, obstetrics and birthing, which needs constant planning and work.
“Right now, we don’t have all of the pre and post-treatment capability nor do we have a full and clear understanding of how many people will need what level of treatment.”
Mr King claimed the detail provided did not give the health network the “complete picture” to push on to the next stage, which would be “discussions around going for funding and ongoing delivery of service”.
He said one of the main achievements the board was trying to achieve was to have a range of visiting and local specialists and oncologists to support the needs of the community.
“Questions need to be answered in relation to what the ongoing annual cost is going to be, who will meet those costs and how it meets the needs of a service that will deliver the right outcome for this community,” Mr King said.
Barker MP Tony Pasin hit back at Mr King’s comments, claiming he found it “astounding” the local health network was advocating “against” improved services for the local community.
“I say to Mr King and the board: ‘Come and fight for better health services in our community’,” Mr Pasin said.
“As I understand it, we do have lots of other needs but the health network should go to Adelaide and demand more funding, they shouldn’t take funding that is allocated for radiation services and turn it into another endeavour.
“The funding was made specifically available by the Federal Government specifically for radiation treatment services and it seems as though the health network is trying to patch holes in their existing budget.”
Mr Pasin said every argument against radiation services here in Mount Gambier was easily debunked.
“I hope to persuade the current State Government to change their mind because this isn’t about politics, this is about a service that is needed in the community in the Limestone Coast,” he said.
Mr King said despite the controversy, radiation therapy was not off the table for good, stating the health network wanted to provide “as many services” as close to home as possible yet it needed to be mapped out and managed and delivered in a “safe environment” for the community.
“People need to travel away from small regional hospitals or large country hospitals for a range of treatments to metropolitan and other sites and, unfortunately, that is the way it is at the moment until we can deliver a high level of services in some specialties and people are going to have to go and get other services,” he said.
“We are committed as a board to try to bring services as close to home as possible but they have got to be planned and the funding has to be scoped and clinical specialty that doesn’t expose us to risk or our patients to risk and services which need to be sustainable in that context.”
