NSW pledges $205 million for new Institute

The NSW government has taken the first step towards fulfilling its election pledge, with $205million on the table over the next four years as funding for the new peak cancer research organisation.

Premier Carr described the new NSW Cancer Institute as an “umbrella organisation”, and said the body, described as a “virtual institute” would bring together areas of expertise from a range of existing research organisations and medical facilities.

NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Frank Sartor, in pledging the multi-million dollar funding, described it as “the tip of our spear in the battle against cancer”.

“Every year nearly 30 thousand people receive the grim news that they have cancer and more than 12 thousand die,” he said. He went on to catalogue the main aims of the Institute, detailing four key objectives.

He said these were the reduction in the incidence of cancer in NSW; an increase in the survival rate for people diagnosed with cancer; to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their carers; and to become a source of expertise on cancer control.

“The Institute will put its resources into areas where it can add value to our research effort, prevention and early detection programs as well as patient treatment. We want to see measurable improvements in the shortest possible time frame,” said Sartor.

The Institute will be tasked with developing a State Cancer Plan by June 2004, which has been described as “a virtual Institute -- without one central site”. This has provoked a high degree of comment at the very least from major stakeholders in the area, of which many were hoping to score direct infrastructure funding to raise their capability -- and prestige – as the prime research body.

“This means that some of the established (research establishments) that were not really that good at producing the goods, will no longer have such a level of control over the direction of the Institute,” claimed one industry insider.

Sartor said the Institute would achieve its aims by supporting and commissioning cancer research and enhancing prevention and early detection programs. He also noted that innovation, best practice and complementary therapies would be included in the evaluation process – along with cancer education and information programs.

A Chief Cancer Officer will be appointed to run the Institute, which will be governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Minister. The formation of the new Institute will also mean changes for the NSW Cancer Council, which will be devolved from the government, and is expected to focus on community-based work.