New Equipment For Royal Darwin Hospital

Federal Member for Solomon, David Tollner MP, today announced the delivery of two new pieces of equipment and additional radiographers for Royal Darwin Hospital as part of the Howard Government's $65.8 million investment in the National Trauma Response Centre at the hospital.

"New equipment for the Trauma Response Centre embraces state-of-the-art technology. It includes $750,000 for a digital subtraction angiography x-ray machine. This will be used to identify problems with arteries and veins and guide catheters into blood vessels and look at the gastro intestinal tract.

"Federal funding will also deliver a $160,000 image intensifier that ensures broken limbs are aligned correctly, finds foreign objects in the body such as shrapnel from bombs, and identifies problems with arteries or veins. Four radiographers have also been hired to work in the hospital as part of the Trauma Response Centre,” Mr Tollner said.
"This funding of $910,000 is part of the $5.3 million assigned to new equipment throughout RDH to enhance its capacity to manage mass trauma. This equipment includes trauma trolleys, ultrasound units, portable defibrillators and microscopes.”

"The funding also provides for the engagement and training of specialist staff for the new centre, improvements to burns treatment capacity and the purchase of medical and pharmaceutical supplies,” Mr Tollner said
"We have delivered on our promise to provide $65.8 million over five years to establish a National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre at RDH which will provide not only the Northern Territory but Australia with a first class national health emergency response. It will enable RDH to deal with disasters and major incidents in our region like the Bali bombing and Tsunami disaster in 2004.”

"Together with the Federal funding for the Radiation Oncology Facility, the Trauma Response Centre takes Territorians one step closer to having access to world-class facilities at Royal Darwin Hospital.”

2007-09-06