Closing a care gap in our region
01 February 2024
Australia’s neighbour Fiji does not have a radiotherapy service, a mainstay of cancer treatment, so many Fijians with cancer face leaving home to get the care they need.
Peter Mac is helping to close this care gap with a pilot program that has so far supported three Fijian women with cervical cancer to fly to Australia for treatment.
Launched in mid-2023, the pilot provides women with return flights and up to three months’ accommodation while they receive treatment and recover.
Peter Mac’s Wellbeing Centre also connects the women with Melbourne's Fijian community.
"The women in our pilot have cervical cancers that are likely curable so long as they get timely access to appropriate treatment," says Associate Professor Pearly Khaw, Peter Mac's Lead Radiation Oncologist in Gynae-Oncology.
"We hope this is the first step towards a permanent scheme that could operate not only at Peter Mac but could be readily adopted by other major cancer centres in our region."
The pilot is capped at five women who meet entry criteria, and a report will be prepared on its outcomes.
The pilot has the support of the Fijian Health Ministry and the International Gynecologic Cancer Society, and is an interim step while Fiji establishes its own gynaecological cancer service.
Worldwide there are more than 600,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed each year and about 340,000 deaths, mostly in low and middle-income countries.