By BRIDGET SCOTT
A SPECIALIST medical centre in Casey is set to treat patients in February next year, after Brad Battin turned the sod on Monday to mark the start of its construction .
The medical centre on Kangan Drive in Berwick will be the first of its kind, designed specifically to accommodate cancer patients.
The four-level specialist centre is a joint partnership between St John of God Berwick Hospital, Genesis Care’s Radiation Oncology Victoria (ROV) and MIA Radiology.
State Member of Parliament for Gembrook Brad Battin and Parliamentary Secretary for Health Georgie Crozier turned the sod, kicking off an exciting time for Casey.
Mr Battin said this would be a great asset for the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire residents.
“It gives locals a great opportunity to access further health care closer to home,” he said.
“They don’t have to worry about travel, and it’s also a great investment for local employment.”
The centre, located across the road from Casey Hospital, will include medical imaging and radiology services, a comprehensive cancer service with state-of-the-art radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment provided by St John of God Hospital.
Mr Battin said he hoped this would be the first of many more health care-related announcements to come.
At the turning of the sod, chief executive of St John of God Lisa Norman spoke about the extreme benefits of this centre to cancer patients.
“The real benefit is that patients will be able to have their medical consulting and diagnostic tests in the one centre,” she said.
“For patients living with a cancer diagnosis, they can also receive rapid access to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy cancer treatment at the same site, close to where they live”.
