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Health service redevelopments complete 29 June 2018 Representing the Minister for Health, Agricultural Region MLC Laurie Graham has today opened the Bruce Rock and Narembeen memorial health services which have undergone redevelopments. The redevelopments are part of a $300 million capital works program that is improving infrastructure in 37 towns across the Wheatbelt, Great Southern, Mid-West and South-West regions. In the Wheatbelt, the program includes the redevelopment of Merredin, Narrogin and Northam hospitals, as well as upgrades to 23 small hospitals and health centres. To read the full statement,visit the Ministerial website. -
Baby Ava still bouncing thanks to telehealth doctor, local nurses and RFDS 25 June 2018 You wouldn’t know it to look at bubbly bub Ava Fuge now, but two months ago her life hung in the balance – probably only saved through a combination of care from local nurses, “the telly doctor” and Royal Flying Doctor Service. Suffering from a seizure one evening in April, her parents raced the 17-month-old to their local hospital at Pemberton. Despite no doctor being rostered on at that hour, the nurses in charge were able to dial up the Emergency Telehealth Service (ETS) based 300km kilometres away in Perth and call on the back-up of emergency specialist doctor Mlungisi “Lungi” Mahlangu. Dr Mahlangu used the ETS camera in the hospital’s ED suite to zoom in on little Ava to confirm the nurses’ assessment, and then get extra details by speaking to them over the videoconference. He then guided the nurses through a course of treatment to sta... -
Country life not interrupted for specialist's appointment 25 June 2018 Life in quiet Mingenew is lovely for Wayne Kipps. However, Mr Kipps has a sustained brain injury which has resulted in frequent epileptic seizures, and so he has had to often leave town to see his neurologist, 300kms away in Perth. But these days Mr Kipps only has to travel to near-by Three Springs Hospital to speak to his doctor via videoconference. The week has been organised by the WA Country Health Service to highlight that healthcare appointments delivered by telehealth are now widely available to country patients, without the stress and cost of travel. As well as the cost of travel, Mr Kipps said that stress was another issue caused by having to travel for medical appointments. Mr Kipp’s wife Shiralee always attends the appointments – partly because her knowledge of his symptoms is vital in Dr Lawn’s assessments, and partly because she needs to drive her husband. ... -
Diabetes telehealth helps mum stay healthy in town 25 June 2018 Cowaramup mum Claire Hubbard says that telehealth saved her a lot of stress during her recent pregnancy. Claire considered herself quite healthy and had not thought too much about what she ate, until she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. She was able to cope with her new way of life through weekly telehealth sessions that she held with a diabetes educator in Perth at Diabetes WA (DWA), using videoconferencing on her home computer. The week has been organised by the WA Country Health Service and its service partners to highlight that healthcare appointments delivered by telehealth are now widely available to country patients, without the stress and cost of travel. This Diabetes Telehealth service is delivered by Diabetes WA in partnership with WA Country Health Service and WA Primary Health Alliance. Instead of traveling to see a specialist, Claire was able to record her daily bloo... -
Grandpa stays home with kids thanks to telehealth 25 June 2018 Carnarvon grandfather Colin Cook is a busy man – he has grandchildren to look after and a busy life to lead. He is also recovering from cancer, and after having to live in Perth for months to receive treatment, he is glad to be back at home looking after his family. It is a significant relief then that he doesn’t have to keep travelling back to Perth for his follow-up appointments, thanks to the technology of telehealth. Mr Cook said that using telehealth was very easy and low-stress. “Travelling to Perth is a lot of mucking about and every time you go you have to organise to pay for accommodation – you just don’t need that stress when you’re going through treatment,” he said. “My wife works and so I am busy looking after the grandkids.” Mr Cook visits Carnarvon Hospital and a local staff member connects him to his doctor onscreen, us...
Last Updated:
17/04/2026