Vicki Jellie fights for Warrnambool PET scanner after four-year wait
A promised PET scanner for Warrnambool remains unbuilt four years after the government's pledge.
Vicki Jellie turned grief into action after her husband Peter died of cancer in 2008. Peter's Project, a community fundraising drive, raised $5 million and created a regional cancer centre for south-west Victoria.
Peter's Project has delivered another $2.4 million in cancer support. Now Jellie fights for a different promise: a PET scanner pledged to Warrnambool in November 2022, promised for delivery by 2026.
As of this week, it remains unbuilt. Around 700 residents each year travel to Melbourne or Geelong for cancer scans that could be done locally.
The $396 million Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment is under way, but the government has not confirmed whether the scanner is part of it. With Victoria's election three weeks away, both Labor and the Coalition have promised scanners.
Neither has committed funding in writing or given a firm date.
- 5 million dollars
- Peter's Project raised
- 2.4 million dollars
- Foundation delivered
- Around 700
- Patients travel yearly
- 396 million dollars
- Hospital redevelopment cost
Why it mattersCancer patients in regional Victoria travel hours for tests available in city hospitals. A broken election promise means more years of delay and unnecessary hardship.
