PATIENTS accessing the Dimbulah Primary Health Centre will have almost immediate access to blood test results, thanks to support from the Rotary FNQ Field Days.
Through the Mareeba Hospital Friends of the Foundation, a subsidiary of the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation, FNQ Rotary Field Days donated $10,000 for equipment, which is already making a difference.
Dimbulah Primary Health Centre Director of Nursing Glory Butler said the i-stat machine provided point-of-care testing to perform blood testing at the patient’s bedside, providing accurate diagnostic information close to where care is delivered.
“We can look at blood chemistry and electrolytes, blood gases, coagulation times and immunoassay response such as troponin for cardiac issues,” Ms Butler said.
“These tests are linked to pathology so results can be obtained by other health providers. We will use this for patients who present with chest pain, need their blood clot testing time checked, doctors may be concerned about an electrolyte imbalance and acute care.
“It will benefit our service and patients by expanding what we can test for at the time of presentation. Formal pathology will still occur for ongoing management but at critical times, this device will be an invaluable tool.
“We have quite a few people in our community on Warfarin and they need a blood prick of a finger to see what their clotting time is, to see if their dose needs tweaking,” Ms Butler said.
Rotary FNQ Field Days former chairman Kevin Davies said the hard-working committee was pleased to see the community benefit from the funds raised.
“Rotary FNQ Field Days is a combined committee between Mareeba and Atherton Rotary which are held every two years, with many donations handed out to community organisations all over the region,” Mr Davies said.
“We’re very pleased to see the result of the committee’s donation go to such a worthy cause that will be very well-used,” he said.
Mareeba Hospital Friends of the Foundation president Tom Braes said the community was extremely appreciative of the generous support given by the Rotary FNQ Field Days.
“The i-stat machine is a game changer, changing lives for the better and delivering direct, practical benefits to patients and staff at the Dimbulah Primary Health Centre,” Mr Braes said.
Photo: Mareeba Hospital Friends of the Foundation representative Robyn Boundy, Rotary FNQ Field Days former chairman Kevin Davies and Dimbulah primary Health Centre Director of Nursing Glory Butler with the new i-stat machine.
