Community & Business
12 April, 2024
Field Days keeps giving back to communities
In a bid to give back to the community that has helped make the Rotary FNQ Field Days a success, the group have donated $10,000 to purchase a new iStat Machine for the Dimbulah Primary Health Centre.
Through the Mareeba Hospital Friends of the Foundation, a subsidiary of the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation, the new equipment is already making a difference.
Dimbulah Primary Health Centre Director of Nursing Glory Butler said the iStat machine provided point-of-care testing to perform blood testing at the patient’s bedside, providing accurate diagnostic information close to where care is delivered.
“We can look at blood chemistry and electrolytes, blood gases, coagulation times and immunoassay response such as troponin for cardiac issues,” she said.
“These tests are linked to pathology so results can be obtained by other health providers. We will use this for patients who present with chest pain, need their blood clot testing time checked, doctors may be concerned about an electrolyte imbalance and acute care.
“It will benefit our service and patients by expanding what we can test for at the time of presentation. Formal pathology will still occur for ongoing management but at critical times, this device will be an invaluable tool.
“We have quite a few people in our community on Warfarin and they need a blood prick of a finger to see what their clotting time is, to see if their dose needs tweaking,”
Field Days chairman Kevin Davies said giving back to the community was what the event is all about, and he hoped these donations would help patients have a better experience while in hospital.
“We all use the hospital, and one day, sadly, we may use the palliative care unit, and for some, they need the blood testing machines so they can get results straight away instead of waiting for results to come back from Cairns or Brisbane,” he said.
“It will create a lot more ease and save money and time while improving rural medical practices.
“It is great to see what it does for the community.”
Mareeba Hospital Friends of the Foundation president Tom Braes said the community was extremely appreciative of the generous support given by the Rotary FNQ Field Days.
“The iStat machine is a game changer, changing lives for the better and delivering direct, practical benefits to patients and staff at the Dimbulah Primary Health Centre,” Mr Braes said.
