Page 2095 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 August 2014
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It will certainly be a very big improvement not just for patients and families but also for staff who are very dedicated in the work that they do for the Capital Region Cancer Centre. There are five levels. There is a family space where people can go while they wait for their loved ones or they have treatment. The Canberra Hospital Foundation has donated 40 recliner chairs for people to sit in while they have their treatment. It has been a real partnership.
I note that the late Christopher Peters, former citizen of the year, and his wife Jo have donated two exquisite art works for the building. It is a real privilege to have been involved in the partnerships that have been formed in developing this centre since 2006 when I first met with clinicians around their idea for this centre to where it has been finished today.
I would like to pay tribute to Professor Robin Stuart-Harris who was up until recently the clinical director of the Capital Region Cancer Service. He was the first clinician in my door when I was a newly appointed minister to talk to me about wanting to secure funds for a cancer centre. He then went and lobbied the commonwealth. Along with submissions that we were able to put to the commonwealth, we secured almost $30 million of funding in 2008-09 for this centre to be built.
I think that anyone in this place will have been touched by someone who has experienced cancer, who has maybe passed away from cancer or who has undergone cancer treatment. I know that when clinical services start on 18 August this year the experience for patients and their families will have taken a giant leap forward.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, how many people receive treatment for cancer in the ACT each year and how will this facility benefit them?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Ms Porter for the supplementary. The 2014 Chief Health Officer’s report shows that 1,473 people were diagnosed with cancer in the ACT in 2009. The Chief Health Officer’s report also shows that the risk of ACT residents developing cancer before the age of 85 for men was one in two and for women was one in three. We also know from our own occasions of service that in the 2013-14 financial year 73,563 occasions of service were provided to non-inpatients by the cancer service. The cancer services provided care to over 1,500 new patients in radiation oncology, 1,000 patients in medical oncology, 705 in haematology and 596 in immunology.
So you can see from those numbers just how important having high quality services delivered through high quality facilities is. We also have high levels of people coming for cancer treatment from the surrounding region. That was an important part of our securing the funds from the commonwealth for this regional cancer centre when our submission was put to them several years ago. Along with the cancer service, we also have services like Duffy House, which was part of that funding from the commonwealth, where we have capacity now for people to come and spend short amounts of time in Canberra, if they live outside Canberra, to attend as outpatients,
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