GENESIS Care’s new comprehensive cancer treatment centre that will benefit cancer patients in the greater Peel region, has begun construction and will be open to the public by mid-2019.
The new service comes at a time when oncology treatment services are urgently needed in the area, with cancer incidence numbers in this region higher than the national average.
The $10 million investment will bring state-of-the-art radiotherapy and chemotherapy services to Mandurah under one roof, as patients will be treated by local healthcare professionals.
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READ NOWCurrently, cancer patients in the Peel region must commute got more than an hour to Perth or Bunbury.
Cancer is currently the leading cause of death in WA, taking the lives of about 4011 residents each year.
More than 12,364 new cases of cancer are also diagnosed in WA each year.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Mandurah is one of Australia’s cancer ‘hotspots’ with one of the highest rates of diagnosed cases of all cancers.
Mandurah Mayor Rhys Williams believes the new GenesisCare Cancer Centre in Mandurah is great news for patients in the region, meeting an urgent need for oncology services to deliver more accessible treatment options.
“The centre will mean an end to long and often daily commutes and make a substantial difference to the treatment journey,” Mr Williams said.
The investment in the region demonstrates GenesisCare’s commitment to improving life outcomes for people with cancer, by continuing to deliver high quality cancer care services to areas with high need.
The new centre will offer the latest technology in radiotherapy and chemotherapy for patients, including a high-end linear accelerator capable of delivering the latest radiation oncology techniques.
Palliative care services are also expected to get a boost from the centre.
The Mandurah centre has the capabilities to treat up to 1000 patients annually with their multidisciplinary team.
GenesisCare Oncology Services WA general manager Michael Davies said development was well underway.
He said the bunker construction was completed before Christmas and the linear accelerator machine would be installed by March before the first patients were treated mid-year.
The centre in Mandurah will be located near Peel Health Campus on the corner of Kookaburra Drive and Minilya Parkway.
Patients will have access to free parking on site, free survivorship clinics and an exercise clinic in additional to clinical services.