Thursday 10 March 2011
Doors open on new sunshine radiation therapy centre
The first public radiotherapy service in Melbourne’s western suburbs has opened its doors at Sunshine Hospital.
Health Minister David Davis today officially opened the Sunshine Hospital Radiation Therapy Centre that forms part of the $184 million Sunshine Hospital redevelopment.
“In the past public cancer patients in Melbourne’s west were travelling long distances to access vital radiotherapy treatment,” Mr Davis said.
“Thanks to this new world class facility, patients will now be able access all their cancer treatments locally for the first time – including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.”
Mr Davis said the $40.5 million new radiotherapy centre will be run jointly by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Western Health.
“The four bunkers of this radiotherapy centre are fitted out with two state-of-the-art linear accelerators, the newest in Victoria. The centre also houses consulting rooms and treatment and planning spaces,” Mr Davis said.
“It is expected that up to 900 cancer patients per year will be able to be treated here once this service is fully operational.
“I would like to thank the staff from both Western Health and Peter Mac for their tireless and collaborative work in establishing this wonderful new service,” Mr Davis said.
Outpatient radiotherapy clinics are commencing 21 March 2011 and a patient from Sunbury will be the first to be treated on 28 March 2011.
The centre will be home to about 50 staff including medical specialists in radiation oncology, radiation therapists, physicists, oncology nurses and allied health staff.
Mr Davis said the new radiotherapy centre was part of the second stage of the hospital’s redevelopment, which also included a refurbished emergency department and soon-to-be-completed teaching, training and research facility.
“Construction has also started on Stage 3 of the Sunshine Hospital redevelopment including a new four level building with inpatient beds, ambulatory facilities and a special care nursery,” Mr Davis said.
Media contact: Nathan Robinson 0417 252 968 Media Release Attachment - 110310-Davis-Doors-open-on-new-sunshine-radiation-therapy-centre-PDF-36KB.pdf [Word, 36016 Bytes]
| 
