Moana Ellis/Local Democracy Reporter
Up to 10 patients a day will receive treatment at Whanganui Hospital’s new $800,000 chemotherapy and infusion unit, which opened December 14.
The benefits of a new chemotherapy and infusion therapy unit in Whanganui will be seen quickly, Te Whatu Ora says.
Up to 10 patients a day will receive infusion treatment in the $800,000 unit, which opened on December 14, with a pōwhiri and blessing at Whanganui Hospital.
Non-chemo infusions are expected to be delivered to some patients before Christmas and the first chemotherapy infusion has been planned for January 17. Between seven and 10 chemotherapy patients will be treated each week.
Katherine Fraser-Chapple, acting group director operations for Whanganui Hospital, said having a purpose-built facility would bring multiple benefits to the community.
“The development of this unit reflects our commitment to achieving equity in health outcomes within at-risk communities.
“Chemotherapy closer to home will increase independence for patients.”
Fraser-Chapple said the new facility would make a significant difference for patients at a difficult time of their lives, reducing the need to travel for treatment and enabling whānau to sit with patients as they receive treatment.
However, for clinical reasons not all patients would suit treatment at the new unit. Appropriate patients would be identified by the oncology team at the Regional Cancer Treatment service.
Moana Ellis/Local Democracy Reporter
The new chemotherapy and infusion unit at Whanganui Hospital has been named Kimiora, which means ‘‘to seek wellbeing’’.
Nurse manager for Planned Care and Clinical Services Rosie Rosewarne said patients with certain cancers or conditions and specific chemotherapy regimes would be suitable for treatment at the Whanganui facility.
The new unit has been named Kimiora, which means ‘’to seek wellbeing’’. It has been designed for patients to receive care closer to home, whānau and support, rather than needing to travel to Palmerston North for treatment.
Government funding was received for the unit in 2020 as part of $300 million of capital investment in former district health boards.
Te Whatu Ora said considerable thought was put into Kimiora’s location to allow for access, comfort and expansion of services according to need.
“The working model of care has been designed to ensure it supports Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally appropriate care,” Te Whatu Ora said.
Rosewarne said not having to travel to Palmerston North would be a boon for patients and their whānau.
“Patients don’t have to travel post treatment and can be home resting without having to manage a return trip.”
Kimiora will initially provide some types of chemotherapy, blood products, and a number of treatments for specific chronic conditions. The number of treatment regimes was expected to grow, Rosewarne said.
Whanganui Hospital has already been providing some of these treatments, but they can now all be conducted in a dedicated space allowing for more accurate data collection on infusion volumes.
The unit was opened by Ann Bartley, wife of Rob Bartley who established The Robert Bartley Foundation in 2020 and who had been working with Te Whatu Ora to bring chemotherapy closer to home for patients.
Robert died on March17, 2021, aged 69, following a long battle with cancer. The foundation is a charitable trust that supports a wide range of local projects aimed at improving community health and wellbeing outcomes in the greater Whanganui region.
The unit features one large infusion therapy room able to treat five patients at a time. Three staff from Te Whatu Ora Whanganui and the Regional Cancer Treatment Service based in Palmerston North will staff the unit each day.
Two staff will come from Palmerston North initially to embed the service in Whanganui as an extension of the regional facility.
