A dedicated oncologist, who has spent the last six years travelling to Griffith to run outreach clinics for cancer patients was recognised for her committed service.
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Dr Renuka Chittajallu has been coming from Sydney to Griffith regularly for the last six years, offering her vast knowledge to thousands of cancer patients and their families.
Member for Murray Helen Dalton nominated Ms Chittajallu for the Community Recognition Statement in state parliament, along with gifting her a copy of 'The Griffith Wars' by Tom Gilling and Terry Jones.
"Renuka is so much more than just a doctor. She has spent countless hours with Riverina patients and their families, talking to them and helping through a difficult time in their lives," Ms Dalton said.
"Every week for the last six years, Renuka has travelled to Griffith from Sydney to run outreach clinics for thousands of rural cancer patients ... This has saved cancer patients the trauma of having to travel long distances themselves while sick."
Ms Chittajallu has been making the journey due to a lack of a permanent oncology service in Griffith, an oversight which is hoped to be fixed early next year with the introduction of a permanent oncology service.
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Dr Tony Niun, Chairman of the Riverina Cancer Care Centre, explained that they were simply waiting for council approval before renovating existing space into the centre.
"We expect to have it finished by the end of the year, equipment installed and have it ready to go by early next year," he said.
"We'll have professional staff locally, in terms of radiation therapists and oncologists taking care of patients here locally. At the moment, an oncology patient needs to travel elsewhere for up to eight weeks so they'll be able to get that treatment here."
Ms Dalton is spearheading a push to get the permanent centre funding to allow the treatment to be bulk-billed, which would ensure affordable cancer treatment for patients from Griffith and the surrounding area.
"Really, the state government do offer money for patients that travel to Canberra or Wagga but it's only about $48 a day. This bulk-billing would almost negate that anyway so it's cost effective to do it," Ms Dalton said.
"I'm very optimistic that we're going to make this happen, but it needs support from all angles," added Dr Niun.
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