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Queensland’s healthcare system received a much-needed boost after one of its main hospitals recently performed its first angiogram.
The news is a major milestone for Mackay Base Hospital, which opened its multi-million dollar Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (CCL) last year. Angiography is a vital procedure for people with heart conditions, as it allows doctors to assess the various components of the heart and identify any abnormalities such as aneurysms, birth defects and other diseases.
The opening of the clinic will mean that patients in the region will not have to travel elsewhere to receive these essential services.
Previously, those living in Mackay had to make the journey to either Townsville or Brisbane in order to have an angiogram. Dr Michael Zhang, a cardiologist at the hospital, said this represented a first step and services would be expanded even further in the future.
“It is a milestone in the medical area in the Mackay region and will significantly improve access to our patients who will not need to travel hundreds of miles to Brisbane or Townsville for this procedure,” he was quoted as saying on the Queensland Health website.
“In a few months when the team is mature then we will move to interventional cases. This will definitely improve outcomes.”
He added that waiting lists will be cut down, allowing patients to access life-saving procedures much more quickly than before.
Kerry McGovern, chief executive of Mackay Health, praised the efforts of everyone who contributed and said “it makes financial sense to treat people in their own communities”.