Thousands more women in Melbourne’s east now have easier access to life saving breast cancer screening and care on their doorstep with the new Eastern Health Breast and Cancer Centre opening its doors, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.

Minister for Health Jill Hennessy joined Member for Eastern Metropolitan Shaun Leane today to officially open the state-of-the-art $10 million centre for breast cancer treatment and prevention services at Maroondah Hospital in Ringwood East.

The centre is a ‘one stop shop’ giving women quicker and convenient access to the very best breast screening, breast cancer treatment and supportive care services under one roof. It will save lives by boosting staff collaboration, delivering better connected care for women and focusing on earlier diagnosis and treatment.

The centre will deliver breast cancer services to more than 25,000 additional women in every year, closer to home in Melbourne’s east. It includes an extra 5,520 mammograms, an extra 7,200 allied health appointments, 12,800 more specialist consultations and a breast nurse supporting an extra 2,400 patient attendances each year.

The modern facility brings together a range of services previously provided from different locations such as mammography, ultrasound, radiographers, medical image reading, allied health and clinical consulting services.

The two ultrasound rooms can conduct guided biopsies, while the four medical imaging reading rooms will ensure women can receive quicker test results and quicker treatment.

More Victorians than ever are surviving breast cancer. But we know we need to do more to continue to save more lives – in 2016, 4,334 Victorian women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 745 died from the disease. Our Victorian Cancer Plan 2016-20 set an ambitious target of saving 10,000 lives from cancer in the next 10 years.

While we invest, the Turnbull Liberal Government continues to rip funding from our hospitals. This year’s Federal Budget locks in plans to short-change Victorians by $2.1 billion.

The Federal Budget also fails to make any significant funding investments into health infrastructure projects for Victoria. Out of our massive investment into health and ambulance projects over the past four years, the Commonwealth has funded a negligible 0.3 per cent.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy

“We are proud to have delivered on our election pledge to build a first-class facility to better support women from Melbourne’s east in their fight against breast cancer.”

“With services co-located and better integrated, staff will be able to work effectively and efficiently together to share best practices and improve patient care.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Metropolitan Shaun Leane

“The new one-stop-shop will support women at all stages of their cancer journey. It is now easier for thousands of women in the east to get the care they need, when they need it – and all under the same roof.”