Patients arriving at Naracoorte Hospital from vehicle crashes, farm accidents and sports injuries will no longer be always sent away for further high tech, detailed computer tomography scans.

Similarly, those requiring comprehensive images – perhaps of their brain, heart or kidneys – will no longer need to travel to Mount Gambier or Adelaide.

A scanner installed 7.5 years ago – which saved hundreds of lives – has now been replaced with a $550,000 new, faster, high-tech one.

And not one cent of government funding was involved.

More than a decade ago, leading doctors at Kincraig Medical Clinic identified the need for a CT scanner at Naracoorte.

With no support from governments or the health bureaucracy of the day, doctors turned to the community they wanted to help.

Seed funding of $6000 was soon announced by Dr Brian Norcock following a 2010 Two Cocks Golf Day.

From Robe to Edenhope, Greenways to Keith, Bordertown to Lucindale and everywhere in between, our communities threw their weight – and their fundraising efforts – behind the Kincraig doctors.

Together our Upper SE community raised more than $800,000 and a CT trust was formed which included Dr Norcock and Dr Jeffrey Taylor.

“Seven and a half years ago, we installed a GE CT scanner following the fantastic contribution by our Naracoorte and surrounding communities,” Dr Taylor said.

“We raised over $800,000 and installed a CT scanner that was very advanced for seven and a half years ago, and that has saved hundreds of lives.

“During that time if people were having a stroke, or road traumas, it saved unnecessary transfers to Adelaide or expedited transfers to Adelaide, because of the technology.

“This was all a part of something that we were told wasn’t going to work and there was no business case for in the first place.”

Dr Taylor said when the scanner machine first started “we did three days a week and maybe five scans a day. Then over time, that has now increased to a five day a week service.

“The aim with the CT Trust was that from the profits raised (from scans), we would always be able to put in a replacement – a new CT machine.

“So now, 7.5 years later, there’s been a need for us to replace the machine.

“The need for the new machine came about because Bensons (Benson Radiology) were replacing their entire fleet of GE machines with Siemens ones.

“The old machine was worth $350,000 (traded in), the new one was $550,000. We (the trust) had the money in the bank and, with technology advancing, we were able to provide our community with the most up to date machine available.”

While around $200,000 was spent almost a decade ago renovating a room to house the scanner, including lead lining and putting in concrete slabs, power and other facilities, this time the machine was able to fit in with only minor modifications.

Dr Taylor said the brand-new Siemens CT scanner was now installed and was being used.

“It is a state-of-the-art machine. It has a lower dose of radiation, it can scan from head to toe, performing a slice of the body at one millimetre in six seconds,” he said.

“It is nearly 35 per cent faster than the old machine. Its dose of radiation is much lower – the lowest you can get.

“It is suitable for children and, because of the speed of the machine, we can now scan people’s hearts, saving them the need to go to Adelaide for the calcium scoring.”

CT calcium scoring of the coronary arteries “is a very powerful test in defining literally in black and white whether a person is high medium or low risk for a premature heart attack”.

Once identified, highly effective treatment can be instituted.

“It can also tell us what different types of kidney stones that you have,” Dr Taylor said.

“So technology has certainly advanced since the old machine was installed.

“The old machine has scanned tens of thousands of people, and now that we’ve been able to upgrade, we have a good business case for having a five day a week service.

“By having the same machine in the entire Benson fleet, it means if there is a sick staff member here in Naracoorte, staff members from Mount Gambier or Adelaide can come up and drive the machine, so we can keep the machine going for people.

“So it’s been a fantastic success story.”

Since the first scanner was installed, Dr Taylor said 10 per cent of any scan performed in Naracoorte was reinvested into the CT Trust, knowing the scanner would need replacing one day.

He said it was important for people to know that when they had a scan with the machine in Naracoorte, the money wasn’t just going to Adelaide.

Instead, it was designed to help not only replace CT scanners over time, but also retain staff locally.

“Staffing is always a challenge in rural health and the trust is working with Bensons hopefully to provide a 24/7 service in the near future.”

Benson Radiology issued a statement acknowledging the significant investment.

The company said the machine also had metal artifact reduction software, allowing for better scanning of patients with metal implants and devices.

Limestone Coast director of nursing and midwifery Naracoorte and Penola, Pam Schubert, said the scanner was run by the CT Trust and Dr Norcock and Dr Taylor at the Kincraig clinic were the best contacts.

“It is not a SA Health device, it is community funded and located at Naracoorte Health Service and provides a great service to our community,” she said.

Naracoorte Area Health Advisory Council chairman Barrie Moyle was unable to comment.

This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.