PET scanner will be installed and ready to go to work by August

After some delays in the $2 million project, Hunter New England Health (HNEH) confirmed to the Leader the machine's installation is set to be completed by the end of July.

The installation of the machine was given the green light by HNEH in April 2023, after its timeline was pushed back by a year.

Cancer Council committee member Shaen Fraser said it is so "exciting" to see the project enter the final stage.

"We will cheer when the first patient goes into the machine for a scan," she said.

"The switching on of the machine will be an enormous relief to the whole region."

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 new machine will allow patients to access treatment close to home instead of travelling hours to either John Hunter or Calvary Mater hospitals in Newcastle.

Ms Fraser said Tamworth patients drive up to five hours to receive treatment, but Moree patients have an extra three on top of that.

"People at Armidale travel across to Coffs Harbour and it will be so well-received when it's up and running," she said.

The installation of a PET scanner at Tamworth hospital has been a long time coming. The scanner space was left vacant after the North West Cancer Centre was built.

A community-led campaign made up of a chorus of advocates, cancer patients and survivors, and local MP Kevin Anderson publicly pushed for the scanner.

A HNEH spokesperson said they acknowledge the difficulties New England patients have faced throughout the installation process.

"We would like to thank the community for their understanding while these works are undertaken to accommodate the new $2 million PET scanner," the spokesperson said.

"We will keep the community updated on the installation and commissioning of the PET scanner at Tamworth hospital as the project progresses."