Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor responds to Eurobodalla radiotherapy petition

The petition received almost 5300 signatures and was officially submitted to the government in October.

In her official response on November 16, NSW minister for regional health Bronnie Taylor acknowledged extended travel to access treatment for cancer patients was stressful for both the individual and their family.

"It is never an easy time for anyone in these situations," the response said.

"When making decisions about service delivery we do not ignore this fact.

"However, there are additional considerations that must be taken into account before a service can be provided."

She referred to the Establishing and Sustaining Regional and Rural Radiation Therapy Centres commentary by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists which advises minimum requirements when considering providing cancer treatment services.

These include geographic location, management arrangements, catchment, capital works required and clinical team requirements.

Ms Taylor said it was harder to attract staff to run radiotherapy treatment when the volume of a service was lower than that of the same service in a larger catchment area.

"To provide the best care, these services need a cohort of highly specialised staff including medical, technical, nursing and allied health professionals," she said.

"It is also necessary to consider the ability to recruit and retain an appropriate workforce for the sustainability of services, including the availability of housing for the regional workforce."

However, Ms Taylor did not rule out the provision of radiotherapy services in the future.

She said NSW Health was engaging an external consultant to work with the Cancer Institute NSW to discuss the provision of local radiotherapy services in the Eurobodalla with key stakeholders.

"These consultations will commence next month and will form part of future planning decisions," she said.

She also said Southern NSW Local Health District was investigating potential partnership models, such as a public private partnership or regional outreach, which could support the future delivery of radiotherapy services in the Eurobodalla.

She said the Eurobodalla Hospital master plan included possible expansion zones for where the services could be added in the future.

Bega MP Dr Michael Holland said Ms Taylor's response was more conciliatory than the previous response by the government and a "reversal of sentiment".

In May, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard called Federal Labor's $8 million pledge to build a radiation therapy clinic at the hospital "completely ignorant or completely misleading".

"The tone of Minister Taylor's letter is a bit more conciliatory," Dr Holland said.

"It seems the issue isn't completely closed like it was earlier this year."

Dr Holland said the government had to plan for future populations and the increasingly ageing demographic of the south coast.

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"This hospital won't be completed for four years. It will be too late to add on radiation oncology services then when we realise we needed it," he said.

"Policy decisions like this are determined by the need in the community, and the need is not just right now, but in 10 years time."

Petition coordinators Fitzroy and Mylène Boulting called the response by Ms Taylor "blatant politicking".

They said the response delayed any official decision regarding the inclusion or exclusion of the services until after the next state election in March 2023.

"This response offers no real solutions or relief to our community's cancer sufferers and their families," they said.