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Saturday April 09, 2016 THE STANDARD

NEWS

Dream a step closer

HEALTH
BY JARROD WOOLLEY
Warrnambool

THE machine the southwest fought so hard to have

has finally arrived.
Workers carefully unloaded a $3 million linear accelerator early on Friday morning, the centrepiece of the
South West Regional Cancer
Centre (SWRCC).
The machine will deliver
radiotherapy treatments to
500 patients each year when
the centre opens in the middle of the year.
Peters Project founder
and director Vicki Jellie
said it was the achievement at the end of a seven-year campaign.
Ms Jellie said a radiotherapy machine based in
the south-west, so people
no longer had to travel two
hours for treatment, was
the cornerstone of the campaign.
The centre is fantastic,
but this is the machine we
wanted, she said.
Im a bit emotional about
it, but its also very exciting.
Its what we fought for.
Radiotherapy
services

Officers
to target
drivers in
road blitz

ROAD SAFETY
Region

CAREFULLY DOES IT: Workers unload a piece of the $3 million linear accelerator to the South West Regional Cancer
Centre. It will deliver radiotherapy services to 500 people each year when the centre opens mid-year. Picture: Amy Paton

will be delivered by Epworth

HealthCare and director of
operations- oncology Paul
Fenton said the machine was
state-of-the-art technology.
It is capable of fast and
precise non-invasive image
guided radiotherapy, generating 3D images that our
clinical staff will use to deliver treatments with pin-point
accuracy, Mr Fenton said.

Its 60 per cent faster than

older machines and delivers
image-guided treatments in
just a few minutes per day.
The new machine will
be installed by Varian engineers and Epworth Medical
Physicists will undertake an
exhaustive process of testing
and commissioning to have
the machine ready for its first
patients mid-year.

SWRCC lead radiation oncologist Tracie Gleisner said

the new machine matches
the performance of linear
accelerators at Epworths
Melbourne facilities.
The community can be
confident that locals who
need it will be able to receive
world-class care in Warrnambool, Dr Gleisner said.
The $30 million centre was

funded with with $15 million

from the state government,
$10 million from the federal
government and a $5 million
community contribution via
Peters Project.
It will provide radiotherapy and chemotherapy
services, consulting suites
for oncologists and allied
health professionals and a
support centre.

SOUTH-WEST police will

target the main road trauma
contributing factors during a
three-day operation.
Police launched three-day
Operation West Connect on
Friday which aims to protect
lives on Western Victorian
roads.
The number of lives lost
in Western Victoria has been
trending down, from 90 in
2010 to 72 in 2015.
South-west police road
safety advisor Acting Senior
Sergeant Brett Jackson said
Hamilton, Portland and
Warrnambool highway patrol officers would focus on
identified high risk routes.
"West Connect targets
speed, fatigue, distraction,
restraints and impaired drivers along with vehicle safety,
he said.
Drivers are urged to slow
down and take regular rest
breaks to ensure that you
and your loved ones arrive at
your destination safely."