Tairawhiti District Health’s transfer of adult cancer treatment services to Waikato District Health Board (DHB) from MidCentral DHB begins on Monday, after more than a year of work.
Chief executive Jim Green says the first Waikato medical and radiation oncology clinics are booked for 1 and 2 July at Gisborne Hospital’s outpatients department.
“Every new patient with cancer who has been referred for consideration of chemotherapy or radiotherapy will be seen on those two days, and patients requiring radiotherapy from that point will have it in Hamilton.
“Twelve patients who began their treatment in Palmerston North will complete it there. And a further 26 patients who are currently receiving active treatment (intravenous or oral chemotherapy) here in Gisborne will have their treatment plans managed from Waikato as of next week.”
The three visiting consultants from the Waikato Regional Cancer Centre to lead the TDH service are: Dr Michael Tills (radiation oncology), Dr Archana Srivastava (medical oncology) and Dr Hugh Goodman (haematology).
TDH Board chair David Scott says the decision to transfer adult cancer treatment services to Waikato DHB was made by the Tairawhiti District Health Board after lengthy consideration. Key in that decision was the opportunity to ‘smooth the patient journey’ so that the majority of patients have treatment completed in one location, rather travelling to different parts of the country for different cancer treatments.
“All the evidence presented to the Board, as part of that decision-making process, showed that timeliness of treatment and a smoother patient journey results in better survival rates for people with cancer, regardless of the type of cancer they are suffering from.
“The Board’s mandate was to develop a patient-focused approach which reduced both the travel for patients and the number of different environments where they receive treatment… In essence, a one-stop shop for as many patients as possible.”
Patients travelling to Waikato for treatment will stay at self-catering units at the Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge in Hamilton.
ENDS
For more information
Kathy McVey
Tairawhiti District Health communications manager
06 869-0500 ext 8115 or 021 223-7094