Cancer project gets go ahead

BENDIGO Community Health Services has received State Government funding for a cancer screening project.

The effort, titled Cancer service supports for refugee patients in Bendigo program, was developed by BCHS with the aim of helping members of Karen and Afghan communities access cancer screenings and treatments.

It estimated that there are upwards of 4000 Karen and 300 Afghan refugees in the Greater Bendigo region.

Senior leader of refugee and cultural diversity at BCHS, Kaye Graves, said the health service had started finding bilingual staff with lived refugee experience for the program.

She also said limited knowledge of cancer symptoms and language barriers are just two of the issues impacting refugee access to cancer care.

“We will build awareness of what cancer is, of symptom recognition, the value of screening and the value of palliative care,” she said.

“We will be leading the way in modelling how to engage with communities and provide information in a culturally safe, targeted way to build health literacy and access to cancer services.”

State member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allen, said she was pleased to see the funding go to the program.

“This project is a great example of how the community can come together to ensure equitable access to care for all, which means better health outcomes for everyone,” she said.

The State Government has committed $37.5 million over the next four years to support people who may have missed out on, or had to delay, cancer treatment or detection due to the COVID-19 pandemic.