Fast Facts:
Our Catchment is over 87,000
We have over 330,000 visitors annually to the region
Day visitors is over 200,000

Research is such a fundamental part of a health care service, but it has not been something MBPH has had the capacity to undertake for a variety of reasons.

With the move back to public management we are now in a position to start our first research project which will be focused on cancer in this region.

The outlook for people with many cancers is changing dramatically. The reason is that cancer treatments are changing. Newer smarter medications that can target the precise engine room of a particular cancer are being developed by cancer researchers, and gradually being trialled in patients within the structure of a clinical trial.

For patients with these cancers, this can be lifesaving. Accessing new and potentially lifesaving medications, all as part of a global cancer research process, the clinical trial.

However, the people, the skills, the medical oversight needed for safely running clinical trials of this nature is such that facilities are, until recently, only in metropolitan areas – a devastating blow for patients and their families who live outside of large cities. Over the last few years, a number of key partnerships working with regional facilities have bought cancer clinical trials to the bush.

Through the hard work of MBPH staff, the Border Oncology Medical Research team in Albury-Wodonga, the Victorian Cancer Agency, the Alfred Hospital Trials Hub, all supported with both Federal and State Government funding, local patients in the Mildura catchment area will soon be able to access these critical treatments at the Mildura Cancer Clinical Trials Unit.

The future is promising with the expansion of capability and capacity of how we deliver healthcare in Mildura.