Mobile healthcare company Heart of Australia received $45 million to implement a country-wide expansion plan and roll out the National Lung Cancer Screening Program to remote and rural communities.
This donation from the Federal Government, in addition to continued support from corporate partners, will fund the addition of five new Heart of Australia trucks to the company’s fleet over the next two years.
Dr Rolf Gomes, cardiologist and Director and founder of Heart of Australia, announced the expansion plan at the company’s 10th anniversary gala dinner on 24 August.
“Over the past decade, we’ve travelled more than a million kilometres in Queensland bringing critical healthcare to nearly 20,000 patients, and saving more than 800 lives,” said Dr Gomes.
“We’ve saved patients a cumulative 38 million kilometres in travel for appointments, and this national expansion is testament to the success of our model and the undeniable value of delivering specialist healthcare in rural and remote Australia.”
The Heart of Australia trucks deliver specialist healthcare, from lung cancer screening to occupational health screening, clinical trials, and education for healthcare professionals and students. This new funding will see a total of 11 trucks on Australian roads.
These new trucks will be modelled on HEART 5, designed with the world’s first battery-powered mobile CT scanner to provide comprehensive diagnostics in any location.
“Being able to combine our existing services with mobile radiology brings us one step closer to delivering a hospital on wheels to far flung communities,” said Dr Gomes.
In his expansion announcement, he also thanked the Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler.
