Community
8 May, 2026
Hospital cancer centre petition attracts thousands
Public Health First’s Edna Carmichael is reminding residents of the Southern Highlands and Wollondilly where to sign a petition which calls for a Cancer and Infusion Centre at Bowral Hospital.
Public Health First’s Edna Carmichael is reminding residents of the Southern Highlands and Wollondilly where to sign a petition which calls for a Cancer and Infusion Centre at Bowral Hospital.
The existing facility at the Bowral Private Hospital, is operating very close to ‘saturation point’ according to Ms. Carmichael.
“Over 1100 patients travelled to Campbelltown or Liverpool Hospitals for infusions and treatment in 2025 according to a Government Information (Public Access) or GIPA document,” she said.
“Ramsey Private, who operate Bowral Private Hospital are very close to saturation and treated 1,040 patients last year.
“Bowral Hospital paid, via contract, for the public patients at the Private around $2 million for 2025!”
There is an opportunity to sign an e-petition at this link - https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=iluducMGIxiTM0bkZD3lFg, or by also scanning a QR code on your mobile device.
There are also several places throughout the Southern Highlands and Wollondilly where people can sign a paper petition, too.
These locations are:
- Mittagong - Williams Shoes (Highlands Marketplace, 197 Old Hume Highway, Mittagong) or Vinnies;
- Bowral – Mr. Fixit (Springett’s Arcade) or Coffee Hub;
- Moss Vale – IGA supermarket, Village Pharmacy or the Newsagency, Clarence St;
- Sutton Forest – Rush Coffee kiosk, corner of Exeter Rd and Illawarra Highway;
- Thirlmere - IGA, Iconix Salon or Pet Spa Deluxe;
- Tahmoor – Judy Hannan’s Office, Remembrance Driveway, Tahmoor; and
- Berrima Overflow – Coffee Guru.
“The e-petition finishes on 16 May, but the paper one is indefinite,” Mrs. Carmichael said.
“We are going to stop our personal campaigning (being out and about every weekend) at the end of this month.”
Ms. Carmichael mentioned that over the past 16 weeks her and some of her volunteers had been getting 74 signatures a day.
“We want 10,000 signatures and so far we’ve got 8,700,” she told the audience at Dr. Raymond Khoury’s Community Forum at The Venue in Bowral on Tuesday night.
She also mentioned that she first started Public Health First over a decade ago in 2016, and feels that now is the time to finally stand down.
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