Hospital foundation gets big fundraising boost from Field Days

l FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND

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Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

CANCER patients across the far north will see increased services and resources at the Liz Plummer Cancer Care Centre thanks to a selfless donation from the Atherton and Mareeba community.

The Rotary FNQ Field Days committee has donated $25,000 towards the foundation’s cancer care hub campaign.

The donation brings the foundation’s campaign to $833,652 of the $1.5 million needed. The campaign began in February of this year.

The funds raised will go to expanding the pharmacy and compound lab to produce chemotherapy locally instead of importing it from Brisbane, additional chemotherapy chairs, increased capacity and a special area for patients and their families to unwind.

Field Days chairman Kevin Davies said the donation was a “no brainer” since Tablelands’ families would benefit from the service.

“Everyone is touched by cancer, and we’re very well aware of the good work the Foundation does, so it was natural for us to support this project,” he said.

“With this support, the chemotherapy won’t have to come from Brisbane.

It’ll all be done here, which is great. Anything that we can do to support patients staying close to home during treatment is important to us.”

Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation’s chief executive Gina Hogan, said donations would help increase capacity and services at the centre.

“We’ve seen a 40 per cent increase in cancer care at the Liz Plummer Cancer Care Centre in the past five years, so we know it’s such an important project,” she said.

“There’s a growth in treatments, so patients are living longer, which is great, but it means the facilities are at maximum capacity, so the campaign is looking into our needs for the centre now and into the future.

“We’ll build a new pharmacy, and enlarging that pharmacy will mean that we can make chemotherapy locally because now it gets flown in, so if there’s an issue with flights, there’s a disruption with patient treatment.

“We’re also adding more telehealth services because the cancer care hub is for patients across FNQ, so if patients don’t have to travel, they can do telehealth instead.

“When they do come, there’ll be more clinical rooms and spaces, more chemotherapy treatment chairs and a new cancer and haematology ward with a lovely outdoor area for patients and their loved ones.”

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