A New CT For The North

Bowen Hospital’s first CT scanner is now up and running as part of the health centre’s new $7 million medical imaging wing and expanded dialysis service.

The specialised medical imaging equipment uses x-rays to create detailed three-dimensional images of the inside of a person’s body.

The first patient to benefit from the new equipment was a Bowen bike rider hit by a car.

After an x-ray showed no signs of problems, the follow-up CT scan revealed the biker had suffered several small fractures.

The CT scanner allowed the bike rider to stay in Bowen when he would normally have to travel to Proserpine or Mackay for the same test. Patients had previously been, on average, transferred three times a day from the hospital for the service.

“He was incredibly grateful to have a firm diagnosis of his injuries and to be cared for in Bowen close to his family,” Mackay Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Lisa Davies Jones said.

Minister for Health Yvette D’Ath said this CT will further deliver timely diagnosis and treatment for patients in Bowen and surrounding regions.

“Providing urgent medical imaging locally will see reduced admissions overnight for those requiring transfers the next day,” The Minister said.

The imaging building project is jointly funded with $5 million from the Federal Government, $1 million from Mackay Hospital and Health Service and a $1 million bequest by the Cyril Isbell estate.

It includes rooms for CT imaging, general x-ray, ultrasound, orthopantomogram (OPG), and administrative facilities.

The building’s renal dialysis service will be ready for the commissioning of full services by the end of this month, including the transfer of renal dialysis chairs.

The new CT scanner is the first of its kind in Bowen Hospital and part of the centre’s new $7 million-dollar imaging wing

‍

‍