The diagnosis was bad enough for Richard Cudaj but the aftermath has added to the stress.
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Two weeks ago, after his wife thought he'd had a stroke, Mr Cudaj was taken to Goulburn Base Hospital. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumour that doctors believed had been growing for 40 years.
He's undergone five Medical Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans since - all of them out of town because Goulburn doesn't have a machine.The technology gives detailed pictures of the body's anatomy and physiology.
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"I've been to Nowra, Bowral and three times to Canberra," Mr Cudaj said.
"For the last one at Canberra Hospital on Tuesday I had to wait from 2pm to 5pm because it was so over-run with patients.
"...Having the trauma of the tumour and then not having an MRI machine here has made my life miserable."
Mr Cudaj is sending a blunt message to all levels of government about the equipment: "You have a room available at the new Goulburn Hospital, so fill it."
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed in 2019 that the $150 million redevelopment included space for a MRI machine but said the equipment required a federal government licence. This gives people access to the full or partial Medicare rebate. One requirement is that it already be in place or pending within 12 months and located in a "comprehensive radiology" facility, also offering x-rays, ultrasound and the like.
While the federal government grants the licence, the State determines the location and issues tenders for the service. The Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) and the privately owned Canberra Imaging Group applied for a licence to deliver an MRI service at the hospital in 2018, but failed to secure one when they were announced in 2019.
In April, 2020, the Health District again called tenders but a contract was not awarded.
Mr Taylor has pursued the issue for several years.
"I have made the case to (Health) Minister Greg Hunt that patients here in Goulburn need access to Medicare subsidised scans," Mr Taylor said.
"When the service is up and running, we will then be able to make application for the Medicare licence."
Mr Hazzard told The Post in February, 2019 that a MRI machine and room to house it typically cost $6 million.
Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman said she'd been fighting to secure funding for the MRI machine, in time for the hospital redevelopment's completion.
"I have had recent discussions with the (State) health minister and the treasurer," she said.
"The licence is a federal issue but to me, it's about getting the money for the machine. Let's get on with it."
Ms Tuckerman said originally SNSWLHD was working out whether to lease the operation to a private provider or manage it itself.
'City missing out'
Mr Cudaj is critical of the delays and what he says is "inaction" by three local state and federal Liberal politicians in recent time.
"They don't want to do anything for Goulburn," he said.
"...I came here as a clerk with Goulburn City Council in 1975, retiring in 1986, and I've seen Goulburn Hospital downgraded from Base status to one of lower standing.
"Goulburn, being the first inland city, should have more status in all of our dealings but the (state) government seems to want to waste money on patient community transport to get people from a to b. They also spend a lot sending patients to other hospitals in Canberra.
"...All of that money could be cupped to provide an MRI machine."
Mr Cudaj has relied on patient transport several times for his MRI appointments and argued, that though subsidised, it cost people money.
Travelling the longer distances was also tiring and he knew of many other people doing the same.
Mr Cudaj said his diagnosis had been a shock to him, his wife Susan, their 10 children and extended family.
He will undergo an operation in Canberra next Wednesday to remove 95 per cent of the tumour. If left to grow, he could lose sight in his right eye and suffer restricted blood flow to his brain.
Despite this, he's determined to secure a MRI service for Goulburn.
"I feel very strongly about it because there are a lot of people in the same boat as me. We're big enough to have one," he said.
The Post has requested comment from the SNSWLHD.
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