The 45,600 people who signed a petition in 2016 calling for a cancer centre at Dubbo Hospital will soon get concrete proof of it going ahead.
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It's four years since Member for Parkes and now Minister for Regional Health, Mark Coulton, secured $25 million in federal funding to get the project rolling.
The state government, which will fund the operational costs of the cancer centre, has provided $10 million for its construction.
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The mid-February 2020 start to demolition of the hospital's old dialysis unit and operating theatres was cause for celebration for Mr Coulton and Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders.
On Thursday, Health Infrastructure confirmed a building site had been established for the $35 million Western Cancer Centre.
"The demolition of the old dialysis unit and operating theatres, which included the removal of hazardous materials undertaken in accordance with Safe Work NSW requirements, is now complete," its spokesman said.
"Work is now focused on the installation of in-ground services and piling in preparation for the first concrete pour in the coming weeks."
The May edition of the Dubbo Hospital redevelopment newsletter provides further detail.
"The initial pours will form the foundations of the two-storey cancer centre, including an extra thick pour for a bunker that will be used for radiation therapy," it says.
Lipman Pty Ltd is building the cancer centre. In February it confirmed there was asbestos in the buildings earmarked for demolition.
The cancer centre is set to completed in 2021.
It will deliver chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and have the only PET/CT scanner west of the Blue Mountains.
The cancer centre will also have a "wellness space" offering support services to patients and carers.
