Tenders are open for a federally-funded linear accelerator to be installed at the new North-West Regional Hospital cancer centre.

AMA state president Tim Greenaway said the accelerator, which provides radiation therapy, would be difficult and expensive to staff, and he didn't feel there was a clinical need to have such a machine on the North-West.

"Per head of population, if that goes ahead, Tasmania will be by far better served in terms of population numbers per linear accelerator than any other place in the country," Dr Greenaway said.

"All this will do is suck up precious funding from the North-West, which they need for other services like mental health nurses and child health nurses."

Dr Greenaway said he was surprised that the government was putting the accelerator to tender at a time when they were looking at a wage freeze and job cuts.

"I'm not saying we should get rid of the bunker (within which the accelerator sits), because I'm not saying that the situation will not change," he said.

"It's quite another thing now to purchase the equipment and get the staff."

In July, Tasmanian Health Organisation acting chief executive Karen Linegar said driving to and from Launceston could be hard on North-West cancer patients.

"The research does show the further you are away from a major centre, the less people do access services and their outcomes are significantly worse," Ms Linegar said.

Health Minister Michael Ferguson said the North-West needed and deserved the cancer centre and he made no apologies for delivering the "vital service".

"Staff arrangements are an operational matter for THO-NW and we have every confidence in them," Mr Ferguson said.