INGLEWOOD and Texas Hospitals will be given a technological boost, with the two facilities sharing in more than $80,000 worth of new medical equipment.
Southern Downs MP Lawrence Springborg visited the electorate at the weekend and stopped by both hospitals to announce the funding.
“As a local resident and Minister for Health I know how important it is to provide rural hospitals with the technology they need to best treat people away from the big cities,“ he said.
Mr Springborg pledged an ultrasound machine, care assist bed and vein seeker to Inglewood Hospital and a mobile telehealth unit, vein seeker and sensor mats to Texas Hospital.
He said the mobile telehealth unit was an important part of modern medicine for rural and regional Queenslanders.
“The Mobile Telehealth Unit will allow local patients and doctors to perform video conferencing with specialists in Brisbane or Toowoomba, directly from a patient’s bedside in Texas,” the MP said.
“Telehealth is a fantastic tool that improves patient access to health care, reduces travel times for patients, their families and specialists and gives health professionals access to peer support and education.”
Mr Springborg said the sensor mats would help improve patient safety.
“These sensor mats help detect patient falls and medical professionals have told me they will be particularly useful at night when patients may attempt to leave their beds.”
The Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) ultrasound machine is used to screen the abdomen of a trauma patient to identify internal bleeding, while the new care assist bed will help doctors, nurses and caregivers manage patient safety and positioning.
The Vein Seeker uses infrared technology to assist nurses and doctors when inserting a drip.
