Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to applaud the work of St Andrew’s Hospital Cancer Care Centre in Toowoomba and to bring to the parliament’s attention its extraordinary record since it was opened just three years ago. In that period of time the centre has created access to the highest standard of cancer treatment for patients in rural and regional Queensland without the need for long-distance travel to Brisbane. The standard of the care and treatment provided at this facility is equal to that of any metropolitan city in Australia. The centre came to fruition with a lot of hard work from a local board and was assisted with an $8.6 million grant I secured through the previous Howard government. Since beginning treatment in 2007, almost 2,000 patients have received radiation therapy. Medical oncology has seen a 481 per cent increase in total patient admissions. This equates to thousands of seriously ill patients who no longer have to cope with the added burden of travelling at a time when they need to be with their family and friends during their treatment.

The centre has helped close the gap in cancer outcomes between people living in capital cities and those living in rural and regional areas. The demand on services will only increase in the years ahead with the population of Toowoomba and the broader Darling Downs tipped to grow by 80,000 by 2016. The St Andrew’s Hospital Cancer Care Centre services a region that extends to the Surat energy basin, which is one of the fastest-growing areas in the state. St Andrew’s Hospital has made an application under the current Health and Hospitals Fund regional cancer care initiative for an application to increase its floor area, increase the number of consulting rooms and, most importantly, add a third bunker for radiotherapy services. This application has my full and complete support. I would encourage the Rudd government to ensure that the contribution made to health services by facilities in regional areas such as St Andrew’s Hospital Cancer Care Centre continue to be recognised for the very important role they play in national health services.