Cancer rates in central and far west NSW are among the highest in the State and NSW Health predicts the numbers will double in the next 20 years, he says.

“GWAHS (Greater Western Area Health Service) is $30 million in the red. We’ve got this huge wave of disease headed towards us and there’s very little funding to combat it,” he said.

“This is a major issue.”

Mr Hodder is rallying his new troops in a bid to save lives now and in the future.

Set up by the Cancer Council NSW, the network is undergoing restructuring to allow greater input by people involved in health, support, transport and community services in the city.

They will be charged with developing an assets map that will reveal what Dubbo has and hasn’t got in terms of cancer care.

“We are conducting a workshop in October to ascertain the extent of cancer services in Dubbo and identify any gaps there may be in the delivery of treatment and care,” Mr Hodder said.

“The aim of the workshop is to prioritise the Dubbo Cancer Network’s focus for the coming year and build relationships with existing agencies to ensure cancer patients and carers receive the support and service they need.”

Mr Hodder, initially but no longer a representative of Dubbo MP Dawn Fardell within the network, believes it “could be a driving force” in promoting existing services in Dubbo and establishing community requirements.

“Filling the gaps may mean lobbying,” he said.

The new chairman’s personal research indicates that the network’s area extending from Dubbo into the north west of NSW is in need of more manpower and infrastructure to beat the insidious disease.

For example, he said, there was only one cancer care co-ordinator working in the network’s area and that person was “run off their feet”.

The appointment of a second co-ordinator, helping cancer suffers, their families and carers connect with doctors and services, may become a focus of the network after its assets map is completed.

The network has been running for about a year with bi-monthly meetings featuring addresses from people working in the field.

The October workshop is invitation-only.

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