DAF takes health on the road
A new DAF XF 530 is set to haul a mobile medical clinic through northern Queensland for the Heart of Australia programThe Heart of Australia mobile health clinic program has added a new truck to its fleet, with a DAF XF 530 with custom trailers set to bring a range of health services to northern Queensland residents as far afield as Cape York.
Custom clinics
Dubbed ‘HEART 4’, the DAF XF 530 hauls a B-Double trailer set that has been customised to provide two medical consulting rooms and two tech rooms. The mobile clinic will bring cardiology, sonography, cardiac monitoring, sleep diagnostics and respiratory services to patients in Sarina, Proserpine, Ayr, Cooktown, Richmond, Rolleston and Springsure.
The custom rig is also equipped with a reception area, verandas, a kitchen and toilet facilities, and has full wheelchair access.
All up, the DAF XF 530 will be hauling over $1 million-worth of medical and IT equipment, while it be self-powered for up to 10 days using its diesel, batteries and solar set-up.
Federal funding boost
It’s the Heart of Australia’s fourth such mobile clinic, and follows on from an injection of $12 million by the Australian Government to support and expand the program.
In addition to the towns visited by the HEART 4 mobile clinic, the expansion will see static clinics established on Palm Island and in Weipa.
The brainchild of Brisbane-based cardiologist, Dr Rolf Gomes (pictured, below), the Heart of Australia program got underway in 2015.
Since then, the service has racked up half-a-million kilometres on the road, helped over 11,000 patients, and saved over 400 lives as it seeks to bridge the gap in medical services between city and regional/remote-based Australians.
“We are very excited that the Federal Government partnership allows us to build this fourth truck and open a new route,” said Dr Gomes.
“It means we are now servicing patients from Stanthorpe in southern Queensland to Weipa in the far north. We know we’ve helped save lives and with HEART 4 we will be able to save even more.
"It’s a step towards making sure country Australians have the same chance of a long and healthy life through better access to healthcare.”
The new DAF XF 530 was provided to the Heart of Australia program by PACCAR Australia, adding to the two Kenworth K200 prime movers that haul the HEART 1 and HEART 2 mobile clinics.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.