The fight against cancer received a boost on Friday morning after a serial philanthropist made a $500,000 donation to the Launceston General Hospital's W.P. Holman Clinic.
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The half-a-million-dollar gift was made by Launceston man Mark Barbeliuk as part of a commitment he made to donate $1 million to the LGH in honour of his late mother.
"My mother was treated here, Judith Barbeliuk, for cancer... she lost her battle seven years ago, but that doesn't in any way reflect on the amazing people here at the Holman clinic and LGH," he said.
"It's an incredible place, its humanity, its compassion touched my heart, so I made a decision there and then to help this facility ongoing and into the future.
"It's something I get enormous joy from... you can imagine the joy leading up to today and the sense of satisfaction and the fact that I'm doing what I think is right and that's important."
After donating $250,000 last year on what would have been his mother's 77th birthday, Mr Barbeliuk's latest pledge has put the philanthropist within a quarter of reaching his target.
Northern Tasmanian Cancer Service director Dr Stan Gauden said the money would be used to support cancer survivors following their clinical treatment.
"We're extremely good as a clinic in delivering acute interventions and curing cancers, unfortunately, we're less good at the ongoing care," he said.
"The issue here is that people are living longer, they have been cured of their cancers, but there are still the ongoing psychosocial issues associated with that post-acute treatment journey."
He said the hospital planned to develop new and ongoing services that would support patients, not just in Launceston, but across the North of the state.
"We need an ongoing surveillance program that allows us to keep an eye on these people, support them in terms of their ongoing psycho-social-care, and make sure that they don't realise that they have been lost to a system," he said.
"That's particularly important in a rural regional setting such as we have in North and North-Western Tasmania."
Mr Barbeliuk said he saw his donation as an investment into the future of the next generation of Tasmanians.
"I can put my money in the bank and get one or two per cent or I can invest it here and get infinite returns through people I will never meet - generation after generation," he said.
"It's to be done here and now... If you've got it, spend it, but invest it in Australia and Australians, and there's no better way to invest than in things like health and education."
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Andrew Chounding
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
