March 28, 2023
Darling Downs Health is considering expanding its teleoncology treatment service for cancer patients to the South Burnett.
Executive Director Rural Dr Chris Cowling told southburnett.com.au more patients across the Darling Downs Health region would soon benefit from an increase in teleoncology services.
“We are currently evaluating the suitability of expanding this service in the South Burnett region soon to support patients closer to home,” Dr Cowling said.
“This involves ensuring we have the right mix of staff, infrastructure and eligible patients.
“Patient safety is of the utmost importance when determining the expansion of teleoncology services in our rural areas.”
With teleoncology, patients receive treatments at their local hospital under the guidance of a highly trained nurse, with support from a specialist oncology nurse at Toowoomba Hospital.
The service is already offered by Darling Downs Health at Dalby, Warwick, Charleville, St George and Roma hospitals.
On Monday, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said the number of South Burnett residents who must travel away for chemotherapy treatment was “shocking”.
She said that last year 1777 adults and children who needed life-saving chemotherapy or systemic anti-cancer treatment could not access treatment locally.
“Being diagnosed with cancer is bad enough but the added stress of having to travel such long distances is exhausting and expensive,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“The figures show that since 2018 the number of people from the South Burnett requiring chemo has more than doubled, and that all these people must travel for at least two hours each way to have their cancer treatment.
“It seems unbelievable that people cannot access cancer treatment at our brand new Kingaroy Hospital.”
- External link: Darling Downs Health video on Teleoncology
