Radiation treatment centre campaign gains momentum with petition launch

Battle looms over funding furore

Both sides of politics at State level have rejected adding their financial clout to the establishment of a Radiation Treatment Centre in Mount Gambier – neither have been convinced the business case of providing $3million dollars annually to cover operational costs, stacks up.

And the assessment of the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) has also deemed the proposed radiation treatment centre ‘unsuitable’. It now sees the $4.3million dollars allocated to the Limestone Coast by the former Coalition Government sitting in limbo – the $3million dollars required from the State Government for operational costs to provide a no-gap service critical for the progression of the project.

When the Marshall Government rejected the proposal, many key stakeholders, including the LCLHN, were not aware of the proposed centre and/or any detail surrounding the projects so community reaction was scant but the second rejection of the State funding, this time courtesy of the Malinauskas Government, has seen the issue force its way into the spotlight.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin, who first wrote to the newly installed South Australian Health Minister in September last year, also facilitated a community meeting and separate meeting with key stakeholders, including health service providers and cancer support groups, last December as he looked to ascertain the appetite in the community for pursuing the radiation treatment centre project.

Those 2022 meetings spawned a working party and when Minister Picton confirmed, taking into consideration the feedback from the LCLHN, via a January 30 letter this year, that the South Australian Government was not stumping up the operational cash injection required, it didn’t take long for the working party to rally and there is now a petition, online and hard copy, circulating throughout the Limestone Coast.

The working party spokesperson Richard Harry said they were looking to attract as many signatures as possible between now and Easter.

“We will see what the community say,” Mr Harry said, with early indications there is a groundswell of support for the radiation treatment centre project. “People are coming out of the woodwork to help,” he said, with Mr Harry seeing the issue as one of equality.

“We are the biggest city outside of Adelaide and we should be treated like the people in Adelaide,” he said. “Why should we be treated differently?” As things stand now, cancer

patients from the Limestone Coast are required to travel to Adelaide or Warrnambool to receive radiation treatment, which is often delivered in 15-minute treatments, every weekday, for 8-10 weeks. “Someone in Adelaide can get the treatment while still going to work and being around their closest support network,” Mr Harry said, “If you are based in the Limestone Coast you have to take time off, you can’t earn an income and you are often undergoing the treatment without any support – it is financially and emotionally draining.”

The prostate cancer survivor also bristled at the alternate proposal from the LCLHN of diverting the federal funding to expansion of chemotherapy unit in Mount Gambier into a cancer centre with a focus on wellness and holistic care, including Allied Health support.

“The best wellness centre is your home – no doubt about that,” Mr Harry said. “You’ve got your family, you’ve got everyone around you, you’ve got your pets and it is amazing what they do and that’s aside all the costs and having no income.”

The LCLHN has cited recruitment and retention of specialised staff; maintenance of equipment; managing patients who fall ill and require transfer and governance requirements as the major obstacles to successfully setting up a radiation treatment centre. Potential service provider the ICON Group, who presented their case at the December meetings, acknowledges the challenges but believes their track record and experience across similar regional areas gives them enough confidence to pursue the Mount Gambier proposal.

Mr Pasin has provided the ICON Group’s response to the Health Minister and while a meeting with Mr Picton has been set down for February 20, in Adelaide, Mr Pasin wants the minister to meet the community on their own turf.

“The Limestone Coast Local Health Network should be advocating with the community to see State Government funding for this cause, not providing advice to the contrary,” Mr Pasin said. “The South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing is being ill-advised and his lack of personal interest in obtaining the facts is letting the Limestone Coast community down.

Mr Pasin has provided Minister Picton with a response to the advice of LCLHN and invited the Minister to the Limestone Coast to meet with the community on the issue.

“We don’t need secret meetings being held in Adelaide about matters that the Limestone Coast community are clearly passionate about. We need our regional health needs met and our voice heard,” Mr Pasin said.

Early numbers on the newly launched petition also emboldened Mr Pasin to push for a community meeting with Mr Picton with online numbers alone topping the 2000 mark within days of going live.

Mr Harry also suggested the Health Minister should make the trip to Mount Gambier to speak with the key stakeholders and face the community.

The petition will be available to sign in most town centres across the Limestone Coast until Easter or online at https://chng.it/ r4kn2nK6yh RADIATION TREATMENT CENTRE KEY PLAYERS: (Above) Member for Barker Tony Pasin with working party spokesperson Richard Harry; (far left) South Australian Health Minister Chris Piicton and (left) ICON Group executive Paul Fenton