Remote communities benefit from state’s first mobile CT service

New South Wales’ first mobile CT imaging van was formally unveiled by Minister of Health and Community Health Ryan Park on 18th May, and communities in the northwest will soon have easier access to the latest imaging technology become.

CT – or computed tomography – takes detailed pictures of internal organs, bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels. New remote mobile CT services are used to diagnose the cause of muscle and joint pain, detect disease, and prepare for further treatment or surgery for non-urgent patients.

Park visited Walgett Multipurpose Services today to announce the remote mobile CT service. This groundbreaking service is expected to begin accepting patients in the coming weeks, rotating between Walgett, Burke and Cover, and is expected to receive approximately 1,500 patients annually.

“It was an honor to visit Walgett Multipurpose Services and meet the wonderful and dedicated staff, but on the site the remote mobile CT service was in the final stages of preparation,” said Park.

“Bringing these professional services closer to people’s homes is critical in this part of the state, and the costs and complexities of traveling and being away from families and communities can be a disincentive. .

“There is no fixed CT service between Dubbo and Broken Hill to the west and the Queensland border to the north, so this unique service will significantly improve access to care, which is critical for remote communities.

“With a remote mobile CT service right next to us, many patients will no longer have to travel hours for a scan, some of them traveling 10 hours round trip to Dubbo. It will also be of great benefit in continuing to improve health outcomes.

James Harvey, Director of Imaging Services, Western NSW Rural Health District, was also present at Walgett at the launch, and said the remote mobile CT service will be a fully-equipped machine housed in a custom-built enclosure in the back of a rugged truck. Said it was a CT scanner. Extending the housing forms an air-conditioned scan his room and reception to ensure patient comfort.

“This truck has a bed lifter for transferring patients in beds and wheelchairs. It also has significant power, data and parking upgrades to each hospital facility in our rotation of mobile CTs. So the functionality of the van is the same as the fixed service,” Harvey said.

“A radiologist supervises and runs the service and is supported by other medical service staff and Aboriginal health workers at each site. Reports images from

“Many of these patients would previously have had to consider traveling to Dubbo for CT scans at hospitals and private health care providers. This service will improve patient access to care. In addition, it will help GPs deliver care locally, reducing the number of patients transferred from hospitals to Dubbo.

Park also took time to meet and congratulate the Walgett Multipurpose Services nursing team, which was announced as the Regional Health District’s Nursing Team of the Year as part of last week’s International Nurses Day celebrations.

“Walgett’s nursing team is well known for how caring and supportive they are, and I congratulate them wholeheartedly on their well-deserved award. We are fortunate to have a dedicated group of nurses at ,” Park said.

Park also visited Walgett Aboriginal Medical Services and Coralenburi Community Health Center Aboriginal Health today as the second day of his trip to western New South Wales after touring facilities in Dubbo and Gilgandra.・I also visited the center.

“Just like yesterday in Dubbo and Gilgandra, I was thrilled to see how dedicated the health workers are working here in Koralembri. and I am fully committed to supporting them,” Park said.