Dubbo's Western Cancer Centre opens doors to patients

The video released by the federal and state governments features medical oncologist Dr Florian Honeyball, oncology unit nurse unit manager Tim Williams and deputy chief radiation therapist Catherine Osborne.

On Monday, the cancer centre's first-floor reception and clinic rooms, where patients see doctors, were opened.

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In the video, Dr Honeyball advises that the radiation therapy suites on the ground floor of the cancer centre should be opened in the "next few weeks" with the nearby PET scanner operational in the "next few months".

"Upstairs is a 16-bed chemotherapy unit which is doubling the size of the chemotherapy services in Dubbo," he said.

"Next to the chemotherapy suite will be a wellness centre which will provide allied health and other non-medical services which people living with cancer and their families will need from across the whole of the west of NSW."

The new chemotherapy unit and wellness centre are expected to open next month.

Dr Honeyball said the cancer centre would include a clinical trials unit which would "try to stop the amount of people needing to come to Sydney to access these very critical parts of cancer treatment".

In the video, Mr WiIliams expresses his excitement at being inside the cancer centre which adjoins the completed Macquarie Building on the grounds of Dubbo Hospital.

"It's been a long project that has finally come to fruition and we can't wait to get in and serve the community," he said.

The nurse unit manager notes a new car park is being built near the cancer centre on the western side of the hospital campus.

"But at the moment we will need to park in the main car park and come through to the unit," he said.

Ms Osborne said the cancer centre's world-class equipment would allow patients with "tumours in all different anatomical sites" to be treated.

She said patients would no longer have to travel to Orange, Sydney, Newcastle or Canberra.

Dr Honeyball said the centre would provide "training pathways which were not there previously".

Ms Osborne tells of an "amazing team of radiation oncology professionals" coming from across Australia.

The cancer centre was funded with $25 million from the federal government and $10 from the state government.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said it would allow patients to "stay closer to their loved ones during treatment, providing the quality care and support that regional people need and deserve".

State Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders calls the cancer centre a "once-in-a-generation health infrastructure project for Western NSW".

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