Cancer patients being treated through Western Oncology say they’ve been left in limbo as the Adelaide healthcare service shuts down.
Private provider, Western Hospital, was placed into administration earlier this year and its sale “progressing well”, according to the state government.
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But the sale of the oncology unit fell through, and 12 staff told they were no longer needed on Thursday as the unit would be closing.
Breast cancer patient Josie Kelsh has competed 10 rounds of chemotherapy at the hospital and was there when staff were given the news.
“There were many tears, they were shocked because in the morning they’d been telling me about the rosy future they anticipated they were going to have,” Kelsh said.
She said the hospital’s closure meant the loss of friends and a support system for patients.
“You don’t really want to be changing throughout your treatment, it’s hard enough to go there and do this,” Kelsh said.
“It’s such a nice community place, it’s been around as long as I can remember … there’s not any other small private hospitals that I can think about in the western suburbs.”
Kellie Finalyson, wife of Port Adelaide Football club forward, Jeremy Finlayson, has been in the media spotlight since sharing her devastating cancer journey. She’s also been a patient of Western Oncology, calling workers there her second “family.”
“When you see them as much as I see them, it’s like a friendship almost,” she said.
Patients have been told they’ll be transferred to other hospitals and efforts made to keep them with the same oncologist.
But some have concerns, appointments will take longer to book.
“The treatment has to stay on schedule, if your schedule gets interrupted it invalidates a lot of the treatment,” Kelsh said.
Administrator Ernst and Young said it will contact patients scheduled for appointment next week as an “immediate priority”.