The Rees Labor Government’s continued efforts to keep the draft radiotherapy services plan for 2007 – 2011 secret shows neither Nathan Rees nor Health Minister John Della Bosca care about giving cancer patients the services they need on the Central Coast, Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, Chris Hartcher, said today.

An Auditor General’s report into radiotherapy services released today has found cancer cases will increase by 30% over the next ten years, but the Rees Labor Government is keeping its draft Radiotherapy Services Plan 2007 – 2011 secret.

“The Auditor General has found the Central Coast, along with the Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Hunter/New England and Sydney West/Sydney South West regions are all areas of geographic need, requiring investment in radiotherapy services,” Mr Hartcher said.

“Labor has failed to give the Central Coast the radiotherapy services needed to ensure local families are not split apart during prolonged treatment and travelling many hours each day for treatment.

"What’s worse is that despite allegedly developing a radiotherapy services plan, Labor failed to publicly release it.

The Auditor General’s Report made 16 recommendations to NSW Health, including an extension to the draft Radiotherapy plan to accommodate the estimated increases in cancer patients from 2011 to 2021.

NSW Health has responded to the 16 recommendations noting 7 of the recommendations are, “supported with qualification”.

“Many of the recommendations can be implemented immediately and NSW Health acknowledge this in their response, but, all of the recommendations relating to the Central Coast, waiting times, distance, staffing and initial specialist consultation to ready for care treatment are dismissed as being ‘dependent on resources to undertake full reviews’.

“It is unforgivable that the Minister for Health and Minister for the Central Coast, John Della Bosca can allow his wife, Federal MP Belinda Neal, to collect signatures on a petition for a Central Coast Radiotherapy/Oncology Unit, and he offers sympathy whilst knowing that it was never going to happen. When will Della Bosca stand up for the Central Coast?

“Cancer sufferers on the Central Coast deserve better than this. The Budget recently should have supplied money for the Central Coast Radiotherapy/Oncology unit, but NSW Health never asked for it,” Mr Hartcher said.