Cloncurry Hospital gets benefit

Director of Nursing at the hospital Lesley Laffy demonstrated some of the equipment they got out of funding from the Glencore Community Program North Queensland at a morning tea on Wednesday.

“We got a bladder scanner for people who have catheters so we can take them out and see if there is any residual urine left or whether they need a catheter at all,” Ms Laffy said.

“The second one which the staff like the most is the vein finder which enables us to find veins very effectively and we also have neo-natal monitor for children, we can use that in the local ward or for children who come in with croup, we can take their saturated oxygen levels and it is very portable.”

There is also a syringe driver to benefit terminally ill patients and a breast pump which can be used by new mothers for a short period of time and which was already loaned out.

North West Hospital and Health Service board member Dr Chris Appleby said the equipment was an example of the collaborate approach the health service had taken with the community and the mines.

“A lot of the time we don’t acknowledge the mines as much as we should, but they do contribute in terms of the number of people they bring to the region which means we’ve got a busy and vibrant health facility and more staff and infrastructure,” Dr Appleby said.

“Also providing equipment like this benefits everyone, and the mines pay lots of taxes, they don’t have to do this, they are interested in the community they work in.”

Glencore North Queensland Copper Assets Chief Financial Officer Todd Brown said they were extremely proud of the community program.

“The Glencore Community Program North Queensland covers a wide spectrum of activities,” Mr Brown said.

“This one for us ticks all the boxes in terms of the broad spectrum of people meant to use the equipment and hopefully it’s a long lasting contribution.”