After years of lobbying by health groups, Tasmania is to start taking a strategic approach to providing cancer services.
Over the next 18 months, the Cancer Network will co-ordinate the groups and people working with cancer patients, to ensure consistent care and services state wide.
The network will be set up by the Health Department, using $1 million in Federal funding.
The Cancer Council’s chief executive, Lawson Ride, says Tasmania badly needs a better system of care.
“At the moment it’s very piecemeal and I think the project’s that being funded now through the Cancer Australia canNET funding which the State Government’s taken on, over the next two years is really going to make some headway,” he said.
“We need to come up with a system that recognises patient needs, that provides the best possible care, as closely as possible to where the patients need the care.”
Mr Ride says it is a big change from the current piecemeal approach.
“They’ve set up a working group to actually look at and go through all of the elements of what the system is at the moment and to define how the system can work better and how we can come up with a solution for Tasmania that really suits Tasmania’s individual needs.”
