Cancer centre designs released
Travelling to Palmerston North for treatment will be a thing of the past for some Taranaki cancer patients when the region’s new facility opens in late 2024.
Design drawings for the Taranaki Cancer Care Centre were released last week, with preparation work already under way at the site – the unused laundry building in the Base Hospital car park.
Te Whatu Ora Taranaki interim district director Gillian Campbell said construction of the sustainably-built centre would begin early next year with an estimated completion date of late 2024.
Once open, the centre would be a huge benefit to cancer patients and their whānau, Campbell said.
It will house a new linear accelerator (Linac) – which uses radiation to destroy cancer cells while leaving surrounding tissue undamaged – 10 chairs and two single isolation rooms for chemotherapy, eight outpatient consulting rooms with video conferencing capability and accessible facilities and staff offices and amenities.
The integration of cancer treatment services means that Taranaki patients will no longer have to attend appointments at multiple locations and facilities, Campbell said.
It would also mean most of the more than 300 Taranaki people each year who require radiation treatment will no longer have journey to Palmerston North.
About 80% of cancer patients in the region can have all of their treatment locally apart from one planning visit to Palmerston North, Campbell said.
‘‘The benefits that being able to access radiation treatment in Taranaki will bring to those who need it should not be underestimated, along with having our specialists and other oncology services under one roof.
‘‘This project is an exciting addition to the Project Maunga Stage 2 facility development work already under way to ensure that people living in the region have access to modern secondary healthcare for years to come.’’