Tasmania has the second highest rate of cancer diagnosis in Australia, so we need cancer treatment services that can provide the care that our community needs.
There is a crisis in radiation therapy in Tasmania because we don’t have enough Radiation Therapists.
A Radiation Therapist uses advanced technology and imaging equipment to create a treatment plan to deliver the optimal dose of radiation to destroy cancer cells, whilst ensuring minimal damage to the patient.
Each treatment plan designed and delivered by a Radiation Therapist is specific to a particular patient and their diagnosis.
Right now, a treatment machine is turned off at the North West Regional Hospital simply because we can’t staff it, as Radiation Therapists can get a better deal elsewhere.
That means cancer patients in the north west have to be put on a waiting list – a list that will continue to blow out while services are reduced – or they’ll be sent to Launceston, which has its own resourcing issues to meet the actual demand.
We need proper wages and conditions for Radiation Therapists so we can attract and retain the staff we need to run our services.
These vital professionals also need more support through education and professional development, as well as solutions to spiralling workloads so they can provide the care and treatment Tasmanians deserve.
Please tell the Premier to fix health by valuing health professionals!
Contact the Premier’s office by emailing [email protected]