Community & Business
4 March, 2022
Health services increase
ATHERTON is positioning itself as a health hub as new services emerge and the completion of the $74.8 million hospital redevelopment edges closer.
Despite challenges for new residents finding a GP and a lack of occupational services as was raised at the recent Queensland inquiry into health services across the State, the Tablelands region has seen vast improvements in services offered over the past few years.
Tablelands Mayor Rod Marti couldn’t be happier with the direction health services are taking, especially with the investment by Queensland Health and the Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation.
“We believe we have the makings of a leading health services hub that will both drive and diversify our economy,” Mayor Marti said.
“Council is very focussed on improving the suite of specialist health services available right here. We embrace the very signifi cant investments in the Atherton Hospital and Mulungu’s state-of-the-art Midin Clinic that complement our high-quality medical practices.
“With the hospital investment, the Queensland Government has made a clear statement about health services in the region.”
Mayor Marti said improving health services in the region would only improve the liveability of the area.
“Investments in high-end health deliver two key things – one, they deliver better health outcomes for our residents and, two, they deliver a demographic of young health professionals that come here to work and live,” he said.
“These people make lives here, have children and enrich our community. And for those residents no longer going to Cairns or Townsville for complex procedures and health services, they have health gains from that convenience and our local economy is boosted.
“It's about backing all our residents, young and old, it’s about the migration of skilled workers, and it’s about creating exciting local employment opportunities into the future.”
Mulungu’s Midin Clinic opened last year and off ers a myriad of services including immunisation, sexual health, minor surgery, mental health, care plans for patients with diabetes and chronic disease, counselling and support services, and family support to name a few.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) acting executive director rural and remote services, Tracey Morgan said the redevelopment of the Atherton Hospital provided an opportunity to increase current services.
“However, not all services need to be provided in a hospital and we continue to expand our tele-health services across the region and Hospital In The Home program,” she said.
Ms Morgan said the service regularly reviewed what services were needed in the region.
“In 2018, we completed our Clinical Services Plan which considers the demographics, burden of disease and health needs of our population and outlines achievable priorities and actions to meet these needs into the future,” she said.
“From this information, a strategic master plan has been developed which guides the potential future infrastructure decisions. We are currently in the process of refreshing our clinical service plan by looking at the disease burden in our communities.”
The process, called a Local Area Needs Assessment, was aimed at understanding the health needs of local areas, with a view to refreshing the Clinical Services Plan this year.
“This will provide further ongoing direction for clinical service, infrastructure and workforce planning for local health service delivery. The CHHHS has a key strategic direction to provide safe care as close as possible to home and this is embedded into all clinical service planning,” she said.
“Our region faces several challenges in the delivery of world-class health services including geographical distance and a high burden of disease due to risk factors such as obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption.”
The Atherton Hospital redevelopment, which is expected to be completed later this year, includes:
A new Community, Allied and Mental Health Building which will house many services
including an immunisation clinic, wound care, physiotherapy in a contemporary rehabilitation gym, speech therapy, a parents’ room for new mothers to assist with breastfeeding and a sleep and settle room
A new four-storey purpose-built Clinical Services Building which will feature a new emergency department, medical imaging, general ward, maternity ward and birthing service with private ensuite facilities, operating and endoscopy theatres and a sterilising unit
A new helipad
A new Engineering Services
INVESTMENT IN THE REGION’S HEALTH SERVICES BY QUEENSLAND HEALTH OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS:
Cairns Hospital has started providing an outreach cardiology clinic to Atherton Hospital
Satellite renal dialysis unit at Atherton Hospital expanded capacity by 25% with
extended hours of operation to provide access to 32 Tablelands residents
Expansion of Atherton Hospital chemotherapy services from two days to three days a week, allowing the service to administer 120 treatments per month
A $5 million CT scanner and expansion of Medical Imaging (X-ray) department at Mareeba Hospital
A $1 million upgrade of the operating theatre at Mareeba Hospital to enable endoscopy services at Mareeba Hospital
A $1.5 million new staff accommodation (three houses) to help attract and retain staff at Mareeba Hospital.
A $3 million heating, ventilation and air-conditioning upgrade at Mareeba Hospital
The opening of a bulk-billing GP clinic inside Mareeba Hospital
Telehealth inpatient ward rounds at Mareeba Hospital (only rural hospital in
Cairns region doing this)
Doctors at Mareeba Hospital link with the Medical Specialists at Cairns Hospital daily (via iPad at the bedside) to provide specialist advice so acute medical patients can remain in Mareeba rather than transfer to Cairns
New six chair dental clinic at Mareeba Hospital in partnership with JCU hosting
four students a semester
A new $5 million Dimbulah Primary Health Centre
A $150,000 upgrade to heating, ventilation and air conditioning at Herberton
Hospital
New mobile BreastScreen van to service regional towns across the Tablelands, and
The introduction of electronic patient records at Tablelands primary health care centres in 2020
