A mobile medical clinic will arrive in Childers on Saturday bringing life-saving specialist medical services to the area.
Heart of Australia’s new truck, HEART 4, is on its inaugural trip taking city-based medical specialists to places stretching from Cooktown to the Bundaberg Region.
Heart of Australia Founder and Cardiologist Dr Rolf Gomes said the program had expanded through a $12 million boost from the Australian Government.
Together with existing partners, the fourth mobile medical clinic is starting a new northern route.
“We are very excited about the new era, opening new frontiers for Heart of Australia and helping address the imbalance for people in the bush when it comes to access to high-quality healthcare,” Dr Gomes said.
“Heart of Australia is bringing specialists in cardiology, sonography, and sleep diagnostics to residents in Cooktown, Ayr, Sarina, Childers, and Proserpine.”
The truck will provide a range of medical procedures and technology including ECGs, blood pressure monitors, Holter monitors, sleep studies, CPAPs, a whole range of supporting services and supporting diagnostics.
Dr Karam Kostner, Head of Cardiology at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital, has worked with Dr Gomes and Heart of Australia since the first truck launched in 2014.
“It certainly saves many lives and it’s very important,” Dr Kostner said.
“Personally, I’ve seen many patients on my rotations who would not have been saved if it wasn’t for the truck.”
HEART 4 is a 34-wheel custom-built, B-Double road train.
The clinic in Childers will be held on Lions Drive (near the Ergon Sub Station) from Saturday, 17 July to Sunday, 18 July.
Heart of Australia now services 29 towns across Queensland and has two static clinics in Weipa and Palm Island.
“HEART 4 is a multi-million-dollar truck that needs to arrive at the right time, in the right place in order to save lives, and it’s my job to get it there,” Simon Crawford, Multiple Combination Driver said.
Heart of Australia has travelled more than 500,000 kilometres, seen more than 11,000 patients, and saved more than 400 lives.
Dr Rolf Gomes mortgaged his home to build the first truck seven years ago.
“Our aim is to close the gap between healthcare services available to people in the city and those living in the bush. Every Australian deserves access to quality health care regardless of where they live,” he said.
