Fran Croft said she was angry when she received a call from a "distressed friend" the week before last, saying her chemotherapy had been postponed due to insufficient staff to administer the cancer treatment.

"It is bad enough to be told that cancer has returned and but then being advised there are not enough staff to administer the chemotherapy is nothing short of disgusting,' Mrs Croft said.

"...To my knowledge this has never happened before."

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Mrs Croft, a cancer sufferer who has received ongoing treatment at the unit, intervened and vented her "fury" to health authorities. Her friend later received a call advising that an oncology nurse from the south coast would travel to Goulburn the following day to administer the chemotherapy. Mrs Croft said she was aware of others who similarly had their treatment postponed.

A Health District spokesperson confirmed the details but said the shortage occurred after the Goulburn-based oncology nurse contracted COVID-19. The district-wide oncology nurse unit manager was dispatched to Goulburn as a result.

The spokesperson said as oncology nurses were specially trained, it was not a straightforward matter to replace them.

"There are generally two to three nurses on a shift (in Goulburn) depending on the bookings but currently there is a general shortage across the Health District and people are being moved around (to other areas) due to COVID... It's a tough time," she said.

However the spokesperson acknowledged there were currently two oncology positions being advertised. One of these is for a district-wide nurse unit manager.

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She told The Post that this month was the first time the unit had to secure a nurse from out of area.

The unit contains five chemotherapy chairs and one bed.

Mrs Croft said the service, based at Bourke Street Health Service, was vital in Goulburn.

She has campaigned for its continuation and local health services generally over many years. Mrs Croft still receives care at the unit following her 2013 cancer diagnosis.

Professor Robin Stuart-Harris from Canberra started the unit 30 years ago and a volunteer Palliative Care and Oncology Support Group raised money for its fixtures and ongoing operation.

"I feel privileged to come here because without (their) efforts, people would have to travel for treatment," Mrs Croft said.

"It is the only place you can have it...and that unit means a hell of a lot to me."

She said she did not blame the "amazing" staff for the shortages but rather, health management.

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Mrs Croft told The Post she'd heard reports that an oncology unit was to be built at Queanbeyan and called on the District to provide assurances about Goulburn's.

"Are there plans afoot to see patients going out of Goulburn for treatment?" she asked.

"If that be the case, I can assure those in charge that chemotherapy is not pleasant for patients and the last thing anyone wants to do is to travel after treatment. We have other patients who travel from outlying areas and they must also be considered.

"The SNSWHD is answerable to the people of Goulburn and they can rest assured that our community will stand up and will fight just like we did a few years ago...They need to come clean and let us know what's going on."

The local unit is slated for relocation to the upgraded Goulburn Base Hospital. The Health District spokesperson said no timeframe was locked in at this stage. An extra $30 million was allocated to Goulburn Base Hospital's new clinical services building in 2019, in part for chemotherapy services.

Community members have previously raised concerns that there would only be four oncology chairs at the hospital. But the spokesperson said chair numbers had not been confirmed.

In addition, the new nurse unit manager's role would involve development of a district-wide cancer services plan. However local treatment would not be affected.

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Mrs Croft, who spoke at the nurses' rally in Belmore Park on Thursday, said the profession deserved greater support.

"Where is the State money for our hospitals? There is none and the stress on doctors and staff has seen staff resign through the workload expected of them by politicians who stated that all was fine and the staff were coping. That was far from the truth," she said.

"COVID is rampant and once again after politicians lifted restrictions and placed so much stress on the medical system that morale is at an all time low and nursing staff are resigning in the droves. Their devotion to duty and their expertise will be lost forever."

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