Cancer patients in Broken Hill and the surrounding regions won’t be required to travel as far for treatment anymore, with the official opening of the $12 million Mildura Health Icon Cancer Centre on Monday.
The world-class centre across the Victorian border will allow for radiation treatment to be performed more locally to Broken Hill region, without the previous need to travel further away, such as Bendigo, Melbourne or Adelaide.
The Centre is open for both public and private-funded patients. Icon Group can also accept referrals for radiation oncology which can be made by a patient’s GP or treating specialist, directly to the Cancer Centre.
The cost of radiation therapy will depend on each individual patient and their treatment plan and is funded by Medicare with up to 90% of the fee covered.
Mildura Health Private Hospital CEO, Marcus Guthrie, said, “this is such a significant step forward in the region’s healthcare capabilities and will have an immeasurable impact on cancer patients”.
“There are countless cases of local patients having compromised on their radiation treatment if they could not receive it locally. Sometimes they chose not to undergo radiation treatment if it meant travelling outside the region, particularly those who had to stay away for weeks or months at a time.
“The opening of the Mildura Health Icon Cancer Centre is going to turn all of that around and hopefully reduce the poor cancer outcomes experienced in this area.”
The cancer centre will operate in partnership with Mildura Health Private Hospital (MHPH) and Icon Group. MHPH will provide chemotherapy treatment in eight oncology bars, while Icon Group will deliver radiation treatment to private and public patients using the linear accelerator.
“Investing in the infrastructure that surrounds people’s care and building relationships with local leaders and community groups, backed by experienced clinical teams, provides people facing a cancer diagnosis with a local service they can rely on. We know this will make a significant difference to local patients and their families for many years to come,” Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton, said.
The Mildura Health Icon Cancer Centre is at 3-4 Healthscope Court, Mildura and can be contacted on 03 5001 8700.
