Funding announced for Maroondah Breast Cancer Centre to open in 2018

A NEW breast cancer centre in the outer east is finally on the way, two years after it was first announced.

Centre hailed as win for women

WORK is finally underway for the $10 million Maroondah Breast Cancer Centre, two years after it was first promised.

The project will provide a “one stop shop” for women needing care in the outer east and was announced by the Labor government just before the election in 2014.

The full amount of funding will now be allocated in the 2016/17 Victorian Budget.

The centre, earmarked to open in 2018, includes a mammography screening room, allied health and consulting rooms, patient accommodation and ultrasound rooms.

It will be located within the Maroondah Hospital precinct in Ringwood East, which has a severe shortage of parking.

There will be 89 new spaces included at the centre — 50 funded by Eastern Health and 39 from the government.

A hundred extra staff car spaces at the hospital will also be built by Eastern Health later this year.

Minister for Health Jill Hennessy said the centre would help 25,000 local women each year and car parking would be sufficient.

“The eastern suburbs has a big population of older women and the great challenge when you get breast cancer is getting the best possible services close to home,” Ms Hennessy said.

“This will bring all those services together and expand on what is already offered (at Maroondah Hospital).”
She said delays had come due to extensive planning and architectural works, with the $10 million of funding in contingency since the first announcement.

Breast Surgical Services director David Stoney said the centre would allow Eastern Health to continue to deliver quality care to patients.

It will also bring peace of mind to women in the outer east, said Eastern Metropolitan State Labor MP Shaun Leane.