Member for Longman Terry Young has spoken up for cancer sufferers living on Bribie Island, making an appeal in federal parliament for a chemotherapy service to be established on Bribie in the new satellite hospital.
But Mr Young’s plea on behalf of his constituents has fallen on deaf ears at Queensland Health, who are travelling a different road to provide cancer care in Mr Young’s Longman electorate.
“Even when the redevelopment at Caboolture Hospital finishes, those living on Bribie will have a minimum one-hour round trip to access these facilities, which I believe should be accessible on Bribie Island.”
Cancer Care Moreton Bay planned for a site near the hospital in Pettigrew Street to provide chemotherapy services and Radiation Oncology, Haematology, Medical Oncology, Pathology and a Compounding Pharmacy.
The new centre will be run by Cancer Care Associates. This Australian-owned operator already owns another facility at Noosa and more in New South Wales.
They plan to start the build by mid-year and be ready for patients in early 2024.
In a recent media release, Mr Young expressed his disappointment that the new Bribie Island Satellite Hospital will miss out and that Bribie chemotherapy patients must continue to travel to Caboolture for treatment.
“I am asking the state government to consider Bribie locals who are already doing it tough. Even when the redevelopment at Caboolture Hospital finishes, those living on Bribie will have a minimum one-hour round trip to access these facilities, which I believe should be accessible on Bribie Island,” he said.
However, the patients on Bribie Island are not alone in needing to travel for treatment. Many Moreton Bay cancer sufferers face a round trip taking between 40 and 80 minutes to receive cancer treatment.
A patient living in Morayfield South near Narangba would need 25 minutes to get to the nearest Cancer clinic at Caboolture and then 25 minutes back, making it a 50-minute round trip. Locations in the western part of the Metro North Health district (such as Mount Mee and Kilcoy) are even more remote from treatment.
The Cancer Council has recognised that many cancer patients have difficulty travelling to a treatment centre and have established free ‘transport to treatment’ services for eligible residents of the Moreton Bay Region.
The Cancer Council can be contacted on 131120 for further information.
Mr Young said he will keep fighting to make sure local voices on Bribie Island are heard.
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