ANOTHER major step to boost south-west cancer treatment has been achieved with the announcement of Epworth Healthcare as preferred bidder to build and operate a $30 million radiotherapy centre in Warrnambool.
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Construction of the long-awaited project on Ryot Street is expected to start early next year with completion by mid 2016. It will include two radiotherapy bunkers, patient treatment and consulting rooms and have capacity to treat up to 500 patients a year from western Victoria and south-east South Australia.
Premier and South West Coast MP Denis Napthine revealed on Saturday morning that Melbourne-based Epworth Healthcare was finalising negotiations with the government after being selected after an open tendering process which attracted one other bidder.
“This is another giant step forward and a very significant day for the region,” he said.
“We will finalise the tender process hopefully by the end of October with work expected to start late 2014 or early 2015 and be fully operational by early to mid 2016. This facility will help build a comprehensive cancer care centre for the region.
“Far too many people have had to travel to Geelong or Melbourne for radiotherapy and a number have made the difficult decision to forego treatment because they did not want to be away from their families.”
The radiotherapy centre will be built on the site of a former dental clinic opposite the South West Healthcare campus.
Funding has come from the state government with $15m, federal government $10m and south-west community $5m.
South West Healthcare chief executive John Krygger revealed his organisation had contributed the equivalent of about $1m in six parcels of land for the project which entails a stand-alone radiotherapy centre on the former dental clinic site and an adjacent corner where three houses will be demolished for car parking.
Epworth will announce design details in a few weeks.
The new centre will provide Medicare-rebated services for public patients and will be run in conjunction with specialists and ancillary chemotherapy, MRI, X-ray and other departments at the base hospital and St John of God hospital in Warrnambool, Western District Health Services in Hamilton and Portland hospital.
Epworth is a major not-for-profit private healthcare provider with a radiotherapy facilities in Melbourne and is constructing a hospital at Waurn Ponds.
