Regions Lacking Access to Critical Health Technology – The Nationals WA

Key Takeaways

Peter Rundle, Member for Roe, highlighted the urgent need for diagnostic technology in regional areas during a recent Parliament session.
Calls were made for a CT scanner in Katanning and an MRI machine in Esperance to enhance local healthcare services.
The lack of diagnostic facilities has been linked to life-altering consequences for residents, with significant gaps in access to necessary medical technology.

Urgent Call for Diagnostic Technology in Regional WA

During a recent session in Parliament, Peter Rundle, the Member for Roe and Deputy Leader of The Nationals WA, expressed grave concerns regarding the insufficient diagnostic technology in his electorate. His primary focus was on the necessity of a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner at the Katanning Health Service and an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine in Esperance.

Rundle stated, “I will continue to call for a CT scanner in Katanning and for an MRI in Esperance. I don’t want to see any more lives lost or futures broken because this Cook Labor Government has lost touch with the needs of regional people and continues to ignore their pleas.”

The proposed CT scanner would serve as a vital imaging tool for local clinicians, enabling them to detect diseases and injuries effectively and make timely evaluations. Rundle cited personal experiences with constituents who have suffered due to the absence of these essential diagnostic tools, emphasizing the real impact on regional residents.

He further urged, “I refuse to sit back and let regional healthcare fall behind across my electorate. I call on the Cook Labor Government to act now, to provide necessary, life-saving services to improve the chances of recovery after trauma, progress treatment, and increase the rate of diagnosis of serious health problems.”

Currently, the public health system in regional Western Australia possesses only ten CT scanners, and it has been four years since any funding has been allocated for new scanners in the region. Rundle pointed out that Katanning, as a significant regional center, has seen over $30 million invested in improving its Emergency Department, highlighting the mismatch between infrastructure funding and patient-care needs.

He concluded by reinforcing that regional patients deserve access to the latest diagnostic healthcare technologies, which he believes the Cook Labor Government is failing to deliver on.

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