Gamma Knife Financial Assistance Fund

Financial support for Gamma Knife treatment

The Monique and Doug Thompson Gamma Knife Fund enables patients, who otherwise would not be able to afford treatment, to receive financial support for Gamma Knife treatment at Macquarie University Hospital.

A patient may request funding multiple times by the same patient if more than one Gamma Knife treatment is required.

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More about the fund

Any patient who is successful in receiving funding through the Fund will be required to repay the Hospital the total amount of the Medicare rebate they receive.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for The Monique and Doug Thompson Gamma Knife Fund, you must meet the eligibility criteria in either A or B below:

A: A patient is eligible if he/she receives an Australian Government Centrelink benefit listed below:

Abstudy
Aged Pension
Austudy
Carer’s Payment
Commonwealth Concession Card from Veteran’s Affairs
Disability Support Pension
Family Tax Benefit Part A or B
Health Care Card
Low Income Family Supplement
Newstart Allowance
Parenting Payment
Rent Assistance
Youth Allowance

B. A patient may be eligible if he / she does not receive an Australian Government Centrelink benefit listed above AND experiences financial hardship.

If this applies, the patient will be asked for the following information:

Statement of financial hardship
Documentary proof of financial hardship and/or low income status
Family situation (details of dependents and carers, if relevant)
Your accommodation: owner occupied, private rental, Government Department of Housing, other
Do you own more than one property?

What the fund covers

Funding from The Monique and Doug Thompson Gamma Knife Fund will vary according to a patient’s need (as determined by the eligibility criteria) and may include the following:

part or all of the patient’s Gamma Knife treatment costs
reasonable travel and accommodation costs for the patient (as outlined below)*
reasonable travel and accommodation costs of one (1) parent or guardian, if the patient is under 21*.

*The patient/escort must not live in Sydney and not have a relative or friend living in Sydney with whom they may stay.

Travel and accommodation eligibility criteria

A patient may be eligible for funding for travel and accommodation if they are required to travel a minimum of 100km one way from their usual place of residence to the Hospital (and return).

Private vehicle—if a patient travels in a private vehicle for treatment, the reimbursement cost is 19 cents per km.
Taxi travel—reimbursement for taxi travel for treatment-related essential travel only, is capped at $250.
Public transport—public transport reimbursement will be at economy rates.
Air travel—return economy class airfare from usual place of residence to Sydney. This must be booked through Macquarie Campus Travel, unless otherwise agreed. (Please note a ‘Fit to Travel’ medical certificate may be required.)
Accommodation—single room rate (includes breakfast) at Travelodge Macquarie University for the night before and the night after treatment. This must be booked through Macquarie Campus Travel, unless otherwise agreed.