Generous support changes the lives of South West patients

19 May 2017

Generous pledges to St John of God Bunbury Hospital’s South West Coronary Care and Cancer Service are helping to save the lives of people with chronic heart disease and cancer.

Prior to 2014, people with heart disease or cancer in Western Australia’s South West region were forced to travel to Perth for specialist care and treatment. In an emergency such as a heart attack, this extra travel time could be the difference between life and death.

St John of God Bunbury Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mark Grime said heart disease and cancer were the most common causes of death in WA, with acute coronary disease alone accounting for almost 20 per cent of all deaths.

“Survival from cancer and heart attacks is greatly improved if treatment can be accessed quickly,” he said.

“This local service gives people in Bunbury and the South West access to the same treatment and care as those in Perth, significantly improving their chance of survival and recovery.

“When patients receive their care closer to home this also has a positive impact on their families.” Mr Grime said that 60 per cent of patients (880 South West residents) had intervention cardiology procedures such as cardiac angiograms and angioplasties in Bunbury in 2014-15. In 2015-16, the number of South West residents receiving chemotherapy treatment in Bunbury was up 40 per cent compared to 2011-12.

“Cancer and coronary heart disease are predominantly associated with the older population and therefore demand for these services in the South West is expected to continue increasing,” Mr Grime said.

“Last year our service provided accommodation for almost 200 patients in the South West Cancer Accommodation Centre, delivered more than 3700 chemotherapy treatments, conducted more than 800 cardiac angiography and angioplasty procedures and treated more than 350 patients in the coronary care unit.

“We need the continued support of the community to continue the great work we are doing.”

As WA’s only provider of non-government regional private hospitals, St John of God Health Care works closely with the public sector to deliver best practice health care for regional communities in the South West and mid-west regions.

Thanks to St John of God Foundation’s generous donors, these new services have not only been crucial in improving health outcomes, they have also increased capacity, technology and facilities, attracting new resident medical specialists and creating local jobs for nursing, allied health and support staff.

Radiation oncologists, specialist palliative care physicians, medical oncologists, cardiologists, cancer surgeons, specialist cancer nurses and allied health professionals now live and work in the South West.