Up to 1000 Tasmanians per year will have local access to a new groundbreaking health service that can greatly improve management of cancer especially by finding areas of cancer that are invisible to other tests.
A Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) scanner, which can also be used to assess cardiovascular disease and some neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s dementia and epilepsy, will be operational at Hobart Private Hospital by late August, relieving cancer patients of the need for interstate travel.
At a total cost of $2 million, the PET/CT scanner will be installed by MIA Tasmania, the medical imaging group that provides diagnostic imaging services to public and private health services in Tasmania. A number of the PET/CT scans to be performed on the new PET/CT unit will attract a Medicare rebate.
MIA Tasmania and Regional Imaging Tasmania, which operates in the north of the State, are part of the national I-MED diagnostic imaging network.
Honey Bacon, wife of the late Premier of Tasmania, Jim Bacon, said she was very pleased the service would be available in Hobart.
“On a personal note, I want to say how thrilled I am this PET/CT scanning service will begin in my home state. Unlike my late husband, Tasmanians fighting cancer will no longer have the arduous trip to Melbourne to access a PET/CT scanner”, she said.
“The early diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancer are two of the most critical factors in beating this disease. The investment in this fantastic facility, along with the expert medical practitioners that will run the service, can only help Tasmanians fight this wretched illness.”
Dr Rob Ware, an MIA Tasmania nuclear physician who has been working with PET/CT at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne for 10 years, said it was a great day for Tasmanians.
“Every year, about 500 Tasmanians travel interstate for a test regarded by cancer specialists as an essential treatment planning tool”, Dr Ware said.
“Some patients probably miss out altogether because they are too sick to travel,” he said.
“This state-of-the-art service will allow Tasmanians to have access to the very best medical treatment, which will be a critical service in the early detection of cancer and the development of effective treatment plans. This service has the potential to improve the health outcomes of thousands of Tasmanians.”
Dr Ware said the PET/CT scanning service would be world class.
“Using a form of radioactive glucose, the PET/CT unit scans the body to assess how the cells in the body are functioning.”
“The PET imaging, when combined with the patient’s CT scan or MRI, can give the most accurate diagnosis of any areas of concern.
“It is a vital tool in assisting medical practitioners and patients in the battle against cancer.”
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The I-MED Network is Australia’s largest provider of diagnostic imaging services, covering all major metropolitan areas and significant parts of rural and regional Australia. Across Australia I-MED operates over 220 diagnostic imaging clinics and employs over 350 specialist radiologists, 50 nuclear physicians and 4,500 staff, making it one of the largest and most sophisticated providers of diagnostic imaging services in the world. The scope and scale of the I-MED Network gives it unique access to the latest medical imaging technology.
For further information please contact:
Mark Simpson Patrick McClelland
General Manager Porter Novelli
Regional Imaging Limited Tel – 03 9289 9555
Tel – 03 9804 6100 03 9804 6100 Mob – 0409 499 419 0409 499 419
Mob – 0413 088 887 0413 088 887 pmclelland@porternovelli.com.au
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