Upgraded transport and advanced million-dollar technology boosting access to cancer care in Wide Bay

Bundaberg, Queensland, Thursday 19 September: Australian oncology care provider GenesisCare’s recent investment into high-precision cancer technology and other support services is making advanced cancer care more accessible to patients across Wide Bay.

GenesisCare delivers radiation therapy for most adult cancer types in Bundaberg and Fraser Coast at no cost to patients.

Today in Bundaberg, GenesisCare unveiled an upgraded patient transport vehicle and celebrated the expansion of services with the addition of high-precision stereoscopic imaging technology. These investments are providing greater local options for doctors delivering care to patients in Wide Bay, including those who historically needed to travel to Brisbane for specialised brain cancer treatments.

GenesisCare patient Bill Artis from Bundaberg said: “I don’t have a vehicle and public transport is not always available. This transport service comes to my home and drives to the centre, and it just makes things easier. A lot of people and patients aren’t able to drive or don’t have access to cars and this service is reliable, the drivers are professional and courteous.”

This sentiment was echoed by 93-year-old patient, Betty Bainbridge: “I wouldn’t have been able to come to my appointments because I had no other way to get there. Taxis back and forth every day would have been very expensive. I couldn’t have wished for nicer drivers and staff at this service.”

GenesisCare Centre Leader Lyn Tate said the new SUV and treatment technology is part of the cancer care provider’s commitment to improving access and outcomes for regional and rural patients living in the Wide Bay area: “With these investments, our aim is to continue to increase access to high-quality precision cancer care closer to home for patients in Wide Bay,” said Ms Tate.

“We know that travelling for cancer treatment can take its toll, especially for patients who live in remote areas and commute every day or week for therapy. That's why we’ve upgraded our patient transport vehicle, to make it easier and more comfortable for eligible patients with limited options to get the care they need, when they need it."

“Previously, the new stereoscopic imaging technology with surface guidance installed at GenesisCare Bundaberg was only available to Wide Bay cancer patients who were able to travel to Brisbane to receive this complex treatment. We are proud to be expanding access to this precision technology in regional Queensland. This advancement has already enabled care without the need to travel out of the region for 34 patients requiring specialised brain cancer treatments.”

Federal Member for Hinkler, the Hon Keith Pitt MP, visited the site to learn more about how these services are expected to benefit the local community: “It’s wonderful to see the ongoing expansion of cancer care services in Wide Bay. Having access to advanced technology typically found in major metro areas helps alleviate some of the burden of cancer when our community needs it most.”

The addition of this advanced imaging technology with built-in surface guidance at GenesisCare Bundaberg allows doctors and radiation therapists to accurately set the patient up for highly complex treatments and monitor their position in real-time during treatment delivery. This enables the treating team to instantly detect any unintended movement so that they can correct the setup, to maintain the high level of precision required to deliver these techniques.

The new car, a Nissan X-Trail, replaces the previously used vehicle to offer more space and comfort for patients who need to travel long distances for their radiation therapy or who lack suitable transport options. The rural and regional car service is free of charge and available to eligible patients who live in Wide Bay, which spans the towns of Miriam Vale, Biggenden, and Maryborough.

This regional pick-up service is in addition to GenesisCare’s two minibuses, and an additional vehicle which was upgraded earlier in 2024, which transport eligible patients from their homes to their radiation therapy appointments at Bundaberg and Fraser Coast.

In the past year, GenesisCare has provided over 3,000 trips to patients, and since its service launch in Wide Bay in 2017 has provided almost 600,000 km of transport distance to patients, at an average annual distance of ~45,000 km per vehicle.