Give a gift to your hospital this Christmas

Launceston General Hospital’s Director of Gastroenterology Dr Scott Fanning.

November 2021

Tasmanian patients at-risk of developing oesophageal cancer are unable to receive life-saving treatment at their local hospital because it doesn’t have the necessary equipment.

Will you help us change this?

The Clifford Craig Foundation’s Christmas Appeal is underway, with the goal of raising $50,000 to purchase a Halo Radiofrequency Ablation system for the Launceston General Hospital.

Every day people in our community undergo life-saving treatment at the LGH. But there are limitations – particularly when it comes to medical equipment and the associated costs.

Most of us wouldn’t give the health of our oesophagus much thought. You might just think of it as the hollow pipe that helps transport food from your throat to your stomach. But it doesn’t just get there by gravity.

Your oesophagus is actually lined with muscles that help push food and liquid down, and when this lining becomes damaged, the consequences can be deadly. A condition called Barrett’s Oesophagus can be a serious precursor for oesophageal cancer – one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

However, the Launceston General Hospital doesn’t have the necessary equipment to treat Barrett’s Oesophagus patients who have developed precancerous cells.

The purchase of a HALO Radiofrequency Ablation system for the Launceston General Hospital will ensure Tasmanians at risk of developing oesophageal cancer can get the best treatment, without the need to leave the state.

If COVID has shown us anything it’s that interstate travel for medical procedures should only be done as a last resort.

Yet each month the Launceston General Hospital Gastroenterology Department have no choice but to send Tasmanian patients interstate for live-saving treatment.

We never know what’s around the corner, and it’s very likely someone you love could be impacted by Barrett’s Oesophagus – or cancer. But Tasmanians afflicted by illness shouldn’t have to leave the state or undergo more invasive surgeries than necessary just because of a lack of funds.  

The Launceston General Hospital Gastroenterology Department has identified a solution – a HALO Radiofrequency Ablation system - but it comes at a cost of $50,000. 

The Clifford Craig Foundation is committed to securing this vital piece of equipment for the hospital.

Learn more about the appeal and the difference it could make here.