KALGOORLIE HEALTH CAMPUS —
MRI MACHINE
232. Ms A.E. KENT to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's significant investment in
health services across regional Western Australia, including the new
much-needed MRI machine in my electorate of Kalgoorlie. Can the minister
outline to the house what this investment will mean for those in Kalgoorlie and
across the goldfields who need to access MRI services, and can the minister
outline to the house how this investment builds on the government's
commitment to putting patients first by providing world-class care closer to
home?
Mr R.H.
COOK replied:
I thank the member for the question.
It is a great question and I congratulate the member on her advocacy for this great new facility for the people of Kalgoorlie. I
am very pleased to say that as of yesterday, the people of the goldfields
have access to a new MRI machine. The goldfields is one of our largest health
regions and Kalgoorlie Health Campus plays a pivotal role in providing health
care right across the region. This MRI technology is available in the
goldfields region for the first time with a 1.5T Magnetom Sola MRI machine now
fully operational at the health campus. This was a key election commitment of
the McGowan government, as the member for Kalgoorlie knows, and I am very proud
to say that the MRI machine represents a total capital investment of $6.3 million,
which includes a $1.75 million
state-of-the-art machine that is unique in that it automatically adjusts to the
anatomy of each patient, leading to
more accurate diagnosis, treatment and assessment. It is state-of-the-art
machinery. This particular machine also allows technologists to work
remotely. They can instruct or assist the operator of the machine from Perth,
making sure that people in Kalgoorlie have those technologists on hand at all
stages in the operation of the machine. This
means that people in the Kalgoorlie region can continue to receive great
world-class health care closer to home. Rather than having to travel all
the way to Perth to get an MRI, people of the goldfields will be able to access
this service, which means that they will get better care. It also means that
local healthcare providers can provide a faster diagnosis and move people on to
quicker treatment, which means better health outcomes.
How
many people would you say, Madam Speaker, will be affected by this? In 2019,
600 patients from the goldfields accessed
the patient assisted travel scheme to make the round trip of almost 1 200 kilometres
to access MRI services in Perth. This represents a significant improvement
in health care for all those people of the great goldfields region. It means that 600 people will no longer have to
make that arduous journey because they will get care closer to home. It
also means that their healthcare providers will be able to provide faster and
better care. It is another example of how the McGowan government is putting
patients first.