- A new CT scanner in Charters Towers will deliver around 2,000 scans each year and reduce the need for patients to travel to Townsville for imaging.
- The $8.6 million investment has delivered a new CT scanner in a purpose-built facility and the recruitment of additional staff.
- The new scanner is in addition to the Crisafulli Government’s more than $270 million investment in 9 new CT scanners and 6 new MRI machines across Queensland.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services closer to home after Labor’s decade of decline left regional communities waiting too long for healthcare and travelling too far for services.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services for regional Queensland, with a new CT scanner service now operational at Charters Towers Health Service. The new service is part of an $8.6 million investment in healthcare infrastructure at Charters Towers Health Service and is expected to deliver around 2,000 CT scans each year.
Under the former Labor Government, patients from Charters Towers and nearby communities faced a three-hour round trip to Townsville to access CT imaging services. The new local service will reduce the stress, cost and inconvenience associated with long-distance travel, while ensuring patients can access timely diagnostic imaging closer to home. The project included construction of a purpose-built CT facility connected to existing hospital services, along with the recruitment of additional radiography, nursing, administration and operational support staff. The service became operational earlier this month and will initially operate five days a week before transitioning to a 24/7 on-call model in the coming weeks and months. The new CT scanner is in addition to the Crisafulli Government’s more than $270 million in 9 new CT scanners and 6 new MRI machines across Queensland as it continues to deliver easier access to health services after record ambulance ramping and elective surgery waitlist under Labor left Queensland in a health crisis.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the new service was delivering faster access to critical diagnostic imaging for regional Queenslanders. “After a decade of decline under Labor that left regional communities waiting too long for healthcare and travelling too far for services, the Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services closer to home,” Minister Nicholls said. “Whether it’s a patient involved in a serious accident, someone experiencing stroke symptoms, or a local resident requiring urgent diagnostic imaging, this service means they can access the scans they need sooner, without leaving their community. “Earlier diagnosis leads to earlier treatment, better outcomes for patients and reduced pressure on families who would otherwise need to travel long distances for care.” Minister for Regional and Rural Development Dale Last said the new service was making a meaningful difference for local families. “Access to healthcare closer to home is incredibly important for regional communities, and this new CT scanner will provide the Charters Towers community with access to timely diagnostic imaging, especially during an emergency,” Minister Last said. “For many patients, travelling to Townsville for a scan means time away from work, family and other commitments, often at significant personal expense. “Now local residents can access advanced diagnostic imaging locally, reducing travel and ensuring they receive care sooner in the comfort of their own community. “This is another example of the Crisafulli Government delivering the healthcare infrastructure regional Queenslanders need and deserve.”
