Stawell residents fighting skin cancer will not have to leave town to get treatment in the future.
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The Stawell Austin Radiation Oncology Service or SAROS at Stawell Regional Health will provide radiation therapy to fight skin cancer.
The state government has provided funding for equipment for the service which will be delivered in conjunction between Austin Health and Stawell Regional Health.
Stawell Regional Health acting clinical services director Kate Pryde said the new service is a big addition to the town.
“The new service will be available to public patients at no cost and is an important step in making the latest cancer treatments accessible to rural communities,” she said.
“The SAROS service complements a range of cancer services available at Stawell Regional Health and we are pleased to work together with Austin Health to provide the service to Grampians communities."
The state government has allocated $250,000 to the new service.
“It means patients with skin cancer can get the most precise and safest treatment possible while staying close to home," Health minister Jenny Mikakos said.
“I’m delighted that skin cancer patients in the region will no longer need to take time off work, travel long distances or pay for accommodation to access free, high quality, skin radiotherapy treatment."
Austin Health radiation oncologist Dr Louise Gorman said having a service such as this in town is crucial to saving lives and making the treatment process easier.
“One of the great advantages of this radiation therapy is that in most cases the patient comes in for their appointment and 20-30 minutes later they are heading back to work," she said.
"This type of treatment can cure skin cancer and remove the need for patients to have surgery in some circumstances.
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“Radiotherapy is a key treatment option for people with skin cancers and this new service will give public health patients in the Grampians region access to a comprehensive skin cancer service for the first time."
“Patients in the Grampians region are currently less likely to be treated using radiation therapy than patients anywhere else in Victoria, and this new service will mean the community no longer have to travel to Ballarat or Melbourne to receive the same care,” she said.
The new equipment is expected to be delivered in March, with the service to be available to patients from May.
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