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21 September 2009

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, today visited the Garvan St Vincent’s Cancer Centre to hold a consultation with health professionals on recommendations of the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission.

Garvan St Vincent’s Cancer Centre has benefited from $70 million from the Rudd Government to expand its world-class research capacity.

The funding is part of the Rudd Government’s Budget commitment to provide resources from the Health and Hospitals Fund to house a research and training-focused cancer treatment centre in the campus to enable specialised research into the molecular biology of cancer.

The project now underway at the Garvan St Vincent’s Cancer Centre Campus in Sydney will modernise Australia’s cancer services, while improving survival and treatment outcomes for the 100,000 people diagnosed each year with cancer.

It involves creating a new, world-class cancer research facility where researchers and clinicians will use the latest scientific knowledge and technology to rapidly develop new treatments.

Research will focus on a number of National Health Priority cancers including breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as pancreatic and ovarian cancer and leukaemias.

The Minister for Health and Ageing also took the opportunity on today’s visit to view new surgical equipment purchased through a $1.3 million contribution from the Rudd Government’s Elective Surgery Plan.

The Rudd Government is taking concrete steps to improve Australia’s health and hospital system after twelve years of neglect by the previous Liberal Government.

The St Vincent’s consultation is the third metropolitan consultation in Sydney and the 26th across the country to road-test the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission’s proposed reforms.

The National Health and Hospital Reform Commission report made recommendations for system-wide changes to Australian health care.

At today’s St Vincent’s Hospital consultation Minister Roxon outlined the Commission’s recommendations and met with local health professionals to discuss their priorities to improve health services around the country.

All Australians are also able to contribute to the national debate on our health system via the yourhealth.gov.au website – and full copies of the reports can be found there.

Media Contact: Minister Roxon’s Office 02 6277 7220