SOME people living in western NSW were choosing an early death because they could not cope with travelling to the city to obtain cancer treatment.
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That was the confronting message Member for Parkes Mark Coulton took to the federal Parliament this week when he rose to support a cancer centre for Dubbo Hospital.
"There is a need for an integrated cancer centre, for both diagnosis and treatment, for the over 200,000 people who live in western NSW," Mr Coulton said.
"At the moment, those people have to travel to Sydney to have a PET scan for early diagnosis.
"In this day and age, the life expectancy of people in my electorate is eight years less than it is for people in the rest of Australia, and we need to do something to turn that around.
"This area in western NSW covers communities such as Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett, and many of those people will not travel to the city and are choosing an early death rather than seeking the treatment that they need.
"I would like to congratulate the group in Dubbo who started up a Facebook page. They now have 19,000 followers calling for a cancer centre in Dubbo. "On the weekend, when I was at the Dubbo Show, countless people told me about their experiences of seeking treatment, the weeks away from home seeking radiation, the costs of accommodation and the time away from their children and families.
"In this day and age it is equitable that the people of western NSW have the same facilities as everyone else."
