Demolition of the old laundry building at Taranaki Base Hospital is underway to make way for the new Taranaki Cancer Centre.

Once the site where the redundant laundry building has stood for decades is cleared, the building of the state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to begin, with site preparation to start in July this year.

Seeing the old building being pulled down is exciting as it’s a step closer to being able to break ground and begin the actual construction of the Centre, says Gillian Campbell, Te Whatu Ora interim Hospital & Specialist Services lead in Taranaki.

"The benefits that the purpose-built facility will provide our community and people in Taranaki diagnosed with cancer are going to be huge," says Ms Campbell.

"Not only will the Centre enable us to bring all related oncology outpatient services under one roof, but it will also house a particularly exciting piece of technology, a new linear accelerator, or LINAC. The LINAC uses radiation to destroy cancer cells, while leaving surrounding tissue undamaged."

For the more than 300 Taranaki people who require radiation treatment each year, the LINAC means they will no longer have to journey to Palmerston North and endure what can be a lengthy stay away from friends, whānau, and other support networks.

The Taranaki Cancer Centre is being built in addition to the redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, known as Project Maunga. Once commissioned, the Center will be a 5 Green Star-certified purpose-designed building providing the latest cancer treatment technologies, including:

- LINAC Radiotherapy Unit

- Ten chairs and two single isolation rooms for chemotherapy

- Eight outpatient consulting rooms with video conferencing capability

- Restful and appropriate décor waiting spaces

- Whānau facilities

- Accessible facilities with carer-assisted change and toilet rooms

- Staff offices and amenities

The demolition work means that there have been alterations made to the road layout on the hospital campus to ensure the safety of staff, patients and visitors to Taranaki Base Hospital.

"If people are planning to visit Taranaki Base Hospital over the next few weeks, it’s worth noting that there will be stop-go signs in place for traffic and possible delays if entering via Tukapa Street while this work is ongoing," says Ms Campbell.

For more information or to view the designs for the Taranaki Cancer Centre visit

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