Funding from the upcoming Victorian budget has been announced to operationalise an important diagnostic tool at Goulburn Valley Health.
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Rechelle Zammit
Goulburn Valley residents will have access to Positron Emission Tomography, or PET, scanning in Shepparton for the first time ever early next year.
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The Victorian Government announced $7.1 million funding on April 30 in the Victorian Budget 2026/27 to operationalise the scanner at Goulburn Valley Health, giving patients advanced cancer diagnostics closer to home.
Earlier capital investment in the 2023/24 budget supported the construction of the suite to house and operate the scanner from, which GV Health chief executive Matt Sharp confirmed was currently under way.
PET scanners are a specialised form of imaging that show how the body’s cells are functioning, helping doctors to detect cancer earlier, determine its spread and monitor the effectiveness of treatment.
The service will mean many local patients will no longer need to travel to Melbourne or other centres for PET scans.
Mr Sharp welcomed the announcement.
“This PET scanner will have a significant impact on people across our region, bringing a critical part of the cancer care journey closer to home,” he said.
“It means local families can access advanced diagnostics without the burden of long-distance travel, helping them stay connected to their support networks and community when they need it most.”
Mr Sharp said the investment reflected GV Health’s growing role as a regional hub for complex and specialist health services.
GV Health chief executive Matt Sharp says while the funding is a significant step forward, integrated cancer care under one roof remains a key gap for the Shepparton region.
“GV Health continues to grow as a regional centre for critical services. While this is a significant step forward, integrated cancer care under one roof remains a key gap for our region,” he said.
“We will continue working closely with the Victorian Government to complete the Shepparton hospital redevelopment, including a fully integrated cancer centre for the Goulburn Valley, with all services under one roof.”
Greater Shepparton City Council said the funding was a positive but “limited step towards meeting the region’s growing cancer care needs”.
A total $90 million investment is required to complete stage two of GV Health’s integrated cancer centre, according to an estimate the health service commissioned an independent quantity surveyor to prepare, as listed on page 16 of council’s Victorian Government Priorities 2025/26 outlining its advocacy for the project.
Mayor Shane Sali said the funds were a small portion of what was needed to adequately respond to cancer care demand across the region.
“The PET scanner is an important tool, but diagnostics alone do not meet the needs of local cancer patients,” Cr Sali said.
“We need a regionally significant, contemporary public health system, one that brings diagnosis, treatment and supportive care together in one location.”
GV Health is the only regional health service without an integrated cancer centre, so local patients do not currently have access to radiotherapy, treatment for complex cancers or a central, comprehensive cancer centre locally.
“We all know someone that is affected by cancer — but if you or someone you know is diagnosed with cancer in the Goulburn Valley, your access to treatment and services is much more difficult than those in other regional centres,” Cr Sali said.
“Our community should not have to leave the region for large parts of their cancer treatment journey.”
Other hospitals to receive a cut of the next budget’s funding include Angliss Hospital with $44.8 million, Cranbourne Community Hospital with $87.2 million, Werribee Mercy Hospital with $95 million and University Hospital Geelong with $20.3 million, among others.
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