By ALENA HIGGINS
WARWICK Hospital will welcome four new doctors and is undergoing a comprehensive services and infrastructure review it was announced on Tuesday.
Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board chairman Mike Horan made the announcement at the board’s monthly meeting, which was held at Warwick Hospital.
He said four new House Officer positions have been created for the Emergency Unit.
Two of these doctors will be Principal Health Officers, who were usually fourth-year graduates.
“The board believes these additional staff members will help with demand and the quality of care provided,” he said.
Local Warwick board member Dr Ross Hetherington said the recruitment was a real coup for the city.
“These four doctors are not just baby doctors,” Dr Hetherington said.
The Capital Infrastructure Planning Study (CIPS) involves reviewing the services and building at the two Southern Downs hospitals to ensure they best meet the community’s need and will take into account a number of factors at the hospitals including bed numbers and patient flow.
At Warwick, the study has included comments on the theatre, maternity, nursery and emergency areas.
“By undertaking a CIPS at the Warwick and Stanthorpe hospitals we can identify what are the best options for the future developments of the hospitals,” Mr Horan said.
The study is expected to be completed by the end of November and will be presented to the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board and to the Department of Health.
Any future funding will be up to the government.
The meeting was also a chance for board members to tour parts of the hospital, meet with staff and inspect the news state-of-the-art dental van.
The school-based dental van, which joins four similar vans in the Southern Downs, features the latest dental chair, fibre optics, X-ray equipment, on-board sterilisation equipment and room to secure records.
In future, school aged children will be able to access funding for care in the school dental vans through the Commonwealth Government’s Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), Mr Horan said.
DDHHS employs six therapists who service 60 schools across the region.
