Telehealth for Tara and Wandoan

Residents of Tara and Wandoan will soon be able to consult Brisbane-based medical specialists without travelling far from home.

Dalby Health Service Director of Nursing (Karingal aged care) said The University of Queensland’s telehealth project offered significant benefits to local patients.

The service, which connects patients in regional areas with medical specialists via digital links, is being extended to Tara and Wandoan thanks to a $500,000 funding injection from QGC Pty Limited.

“It means patients will have access to a geriatrician without the need to travel long distances to Brisbane or Toowoomba,” Ms Butcher said.

“It would be good if the service could extend to other areas, so that other people could experience the benefits of telehealth.”

QGC Vice-President Sustainability Brett Smith said the $500,000 contribution to expand telehealth services followed the success of UQ’s Health-e-Regions projects in Dalby, Chinchilla and Miles.

The gas production company previously provided $1.3 million for the first two years of the project.

The project is led by UQ’s Centre for Online Health, with support from the Queensland Department of Health and UQ commercialisation company UniQuest.

Centre for Online Health Deputy Director Associate Professor Anthony Smith said the project had already reduced the burden on Western Downs’ families who would otherwise have to travel hundreds of kilometres to attend specialist appointments in a major city.

“Extensive engagement with clinicians, hospital managers and the general public has led to substantial progress in the creation of new telehealth services,” Dr Smith said.

“In the Darling Downs region, telehealth activity in the hospital sector has increased by 104 per cent, compared to 28 per cent in the rest of Queensland.

“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from patients who have had a telehealth appointment as part of the Health-e-Regions project, and are looking forward to engaging with the Tara and Wandoan community to generate telehealth services specific to their needs.”

Media: UQ Centre for Online Health Joanne Grey, 07 3176 6934, j.grey2@uq.edu.au, or Centre for Online Health Deputy Director Associate Professor Anthony Smith, 07 3176 8180.