The inclusion of the Ayr Hospital on a list of 11 locations receiving significant medical imaging upgrades signals another major step forward on the delivery of a CT Scanner at the facility, according to Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP.

A total of 9 additional CT Scanners and 6 MRI Machines will be installed across the state thanks to funding announced this week, but Mr Last’s focus is closer to home.

“It has been a long fight to get to where we are today and I know there will be, literally, thousands of people in the community who will be extremely happy that the project has taken a giant leap forward,” Mr Last said.  “Having Premier Crisafulli and the Health Minister commit the funding means work can get underway in earnest.”

“There was never any doubt that the government would deliver on our commitment, but I was concerned that there may be delays due to the state of our health system statewide.  Our government was left with a health system full of cost blow-outs and unfunded promises that we needed to address to ensure Queenslanders can access medical services in their time of need.”

“As we have said since we began the campaign for the CT Scanner at Ayr, this project will not just boost health services here in the Burdekin, it will actually help take pressure off the Townsville University Hospital as well.  Unfortunately, both of those benefits were overlooked by the previous government but, every time they knocked us back, the community united even more to back this project.”

Mr Last said the progress made on the project in the last 12 months was in stark contrast to what had been seen in the preceding 3 years and was a credit to a long list of locals.

“Since the Community Advisory Network first raised the issue with me, I could see that this was equipment our community didn’t just need, it was equipment we needed,” Mr Last said.  “We went from basically being told there wasn’t enough demand to being told it was an important project but, despite that, it wasn’t funded by the previous government.”

“We endured three frustrating years of being given excuses, responding to those and then being handed another excuse.  In the last 12 months, by contrast, we’ve seen planning commence, the Minister engage directly with local staff and now, the funding we need to make this project a reality.”

“Facilities like these do take time to come on-line because it is specialised equipment and we need to make sure that we get it right to ensure the best outcomes for patients and local staff.  I’ll keep the celebrating for the opening of the facility but the progress that has been made since the election is staggering.”

“It has taken a joint effort with thousands of locals supporting my petition because this is a logical project.  Once complete, it’s up to 15 less Ambulance trips a week, hundreds of staff hours saved and better health services for everyone from newborns right through to the elderly.”

“Because we have staff here that are already trained, I know the CT Scanner will make an impact from day one.  It will be a great asset for our local staff as they work hard to save lives and improve quality of life and that makes the fight well and truly worth it.”