Government supports new X-ray imaging for rural and remote WA

21/2/00
Health Minister John Day was given a glimpse into the future of health care in regional, rural and remote areas of the State when he visited the South-West Health Campus in Bunbury today.
Mr Day attended a demonstration at the new $68 million health campus which highlighted how a range of digital images could be sent by satellite from a remote, portable field unit to a central imaging centre.
Images collected by x-ray, ultrasound, slit lamps and microscopes can be sent to an established imaging centre where radiologists and other medical specialists can make assessments and recommend treatment.
Mr Day said the application of telemedicine was a significant breakthrough for people living in remote areas.
"It is now possible for small population centres such as mining operations and remote communities, to have mobile medical units which can supply a range of digital images," he said.
"People who are injured or sick may not have to travel hundreds of kilometres to have an x-ray or a pathology test. Specialists in centres such as Bunbury will be able to make assessments and provide on-the-spot advice to local doctors.
"People will no longer have to take time off work or be away from their home for long periods to access specialist diagnoses."
Mr Day said 'Imaging the South', a medical imaging business based in the South-West, was using the technology to link its imaging centres throughout regional WA.
The company was now hoping to transmit images from mobile medical units in overseas countries such as East Timor where medical facilities were in short supply.
Representatives from Imaging the South recently went to Darwin to demonstrate the application of telemedicine to representatives from the United Nations, Australian Defence Force, Northern Territory Government, Portuguese Government and a range of other interested groups.
The company's principal, Dr Johnny Walker said the demonstration was able to show that "MASH units", or field hospitals, could be set up in places like East Timor at low cost, providing specialist medical services.
"Telemedicine gives us the opportunity to provide high-quality, real time, readily accessible and cost-effective diagnostic imaging services around the globe," Dr Walker said.
"We are setting up a team of specialists in Bunbury who can be called in to give instant analysis and advice for treatment."
Mr Day said the establishment of the South-West Health Campus a year ago had provided a substantial lift in the quality and range of medical services for the South-West community.
"Now it is even more encouraging to see a local company spreading those services and skills throughout WA and beyond," he said.
"The innovation and application of this level of technology will undoubtedly benefit the community as a whole."
Media contact: Mark Thompson on 9213 6600