The new Taranaki Cancer Centre is a step closer as demolition work of the old laundry building begins.
Once the site where the redundant laundry building has stood for decades is cleared, the building of the state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to begin, with site preparation to start in July this year.
Seeing the old building being pulled down is exciting as it’s a step closer to being able to break ground and begin the actual construction of the centre, says Gillian Campbell, Te Whatu Ora interim hospital and specialist services lead in Taranaki.
“The benefits that the purpose-built facility will provide our community and people in Taranaki diagnosed with cancer are going to be huge. Not only will the centre enable us to bring all related oncology outpatient services under one roof, but it will also house a particularly exciting piece of technology, a new linear accelerator, or LINAC. The LINAC uses radiation to destroy cancer cells while leaving surrounding tissue undamaged.”
For the more than 300 Taranaki people who require radiation treatment each year, the LINAC means they will no longer have to journey to Palmerston North and endure what can be a lengthy stay away from friends, whānau, and other support networks.