Cancer Council and MP Kevin Anderson say Tamworth needs PET scanner

The news comes as local MP Kevin Anderson joins the chorus of voices publicly demanding a PET scanner for the North West Cancer Centre at Tamworth Hospital.

The cancer centre was built with space to house a PET scanner, but more than ten years later the space remains unfilled, an issue Mr Anderson said he has been working on behind the scenes for the past year.

"I made representation to Hunter New England Health (HNEH) and the regional health minister last year ... Hunter New England Health and NSW Health have said the need is not there. I disagree with that, the community disagrees with that, the Cancer Council disagrees with that, so what we've gotta do is build that case," Mr Anderson said.

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HNEH said the complex machinery inside a PET scanner limits the locations where it may be established, and they "acknowledge that patients may need to travel longer distances to access highly specialised treatments or imaging modalities".

But Tamworth cancer survivor Garry Norman said a PET scanner in Tamworth would help ease the pain suffered by cancer patients and help to deliver better health outcomes.

"I've got a daughter with cancer now, so she has to travel to Newcastle. If she goes by herself, she has to stay overnight, and the expense is so much that ordinary wages don't cover it," Mr Norman said.

A PET (positron emission tomography) scanner is used to quickly and accurately diagnose cancer and uses image testing to determine where it is, how big it is and if it has spread.

The scan can also help diagnose other diseases such as depression, epilepsy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

The scanning machine can cost anywhere from $1 million to $4 million and is difficult to set up in regional areas, though HNEH is looking into the feasibility of setting one up in Tamworth, a HNEH spokesperson told The Leader.

Cancer Council Support Services Coordinator Shaen Fraser said there is a clear need for Tamworth to have a PET scanner and called for pressure to be put on the health department to change its assessment.

"We need the voice of the community to get behind this and show that the need is there and that it would improve their outcomes, and their recovery," Ms Fraser said.

Mr Anderson said he hopes this public-facing push will "take it to the next level".

"We're building the case to NSW Health, taking the stories of local survivors to the department, ensuring they hear our voice," Mr Anderson said.

Mr Anderson isn't alone in this bandwagon, as state election rivals Mark Rodda (Ind) and Ryan Brook (Grn) have long made the argument that Tamworth needs a PET scanner.

When asked why he hasn't made the push for a PET scanner public sooner, Mr Anderson said, "I've been on this for quite some time" and that "it's great to see that other people see the need".

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