$17.2 million funding secured for Heart of Australia services 

Heart of Australia has received a major funding commitment of $17.2 million from the Federal Government to guarantee its mobile medical clinics will continue to service regional and rural Queenslanders for the next four years.

Founder and cardiologist, Dr Rolf Gomes, said he is thrilled Heart of Australia’s five mobile clinics will continue to provide improved access to specialist medical services for Queenslanders living in remote and regional areas of the state.

"I would especially like to thank the Minister for Regional Health, Dr David Gillespie, for his unwavering commitment and advocacy to ensure funding for Heart of Australia to continue delivering services for regional Queenslanders was included in the 2022-2023 Federal Budget," Dr Gomes said.

"Having the continued support from the Federal Government can give Queenslanders living in rural and remote areas the confidence we will continue to be there for them, no matter what," he said.

Heart of Australia’s fleet of five mobile medical clinics visit 33 Queensland communities from Goondiwindi in the south to Weipa in the far north and Winton in the west.

The clinics provide improved accessibility to a range of specialist medical services including cardiology, endocrinology, sleep medicine, geriatric medicine, immunology, neurology, psychiatry, gastroenterology, gynaecology, and general medicine, as well as CT and X-ray imaging for mine dust lung diseases, such as black lung and silicosis.

Since Heart of Australia began operations in 2014, medical specialists have seen more than 12,000 patients and saved more than 500 lives. The fleet has travelled more than 500,000 kilometres throughout Queensland.

Dr Gomes said the Federal Government’s support represents a significant boost to Heart of Australia to continue to provide high-quality specialist healthcare to some of Queensland’s most isolated communities over the next four years.

"This is a major step forward to ensure Queenslanders living in rural and remote areas have the same access to medical specialists as those living in the cities. It will make an enormous difference in improving lives and supporting the work of local GPs," Dr Gomes said.

"Bringing medical services to regional and remote communities breaks down the barriers of distance, meaning more Queenslanders can get the health care they need.

"A special thank you also to all of Heart of Australia’s partners and supporters, whose ongoing contribution has been instrumental in helping us achieve this major milestone."

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