General News
15 October, 2024
Lions club donation bolsters hospital
The Maryborough District Health Service (MDHS) has secured essential medical equipment worth thousands of dollars owing to a substantial donation from the local Lions club.
Before the Maryborough Lions Club presented a generous sum of about $30,000 to the hospital, patients like Heather Cook were forced to travel all the way to Ballarat or Bendigo three times a week to avail life-saving treatment.
But now, with the required funding in hand, MDHS has been able to purchase three portable ultrasound devices that will assist the service in meeting Ms Cook’s and other patients’ medical needs closer to home.
According to MDHS oncology and dialysis nurse unit manager Prasanth Nair, through the newly acquired equipment, the hospital’s staff can accurately locate veins in patients who may spend up to 12 hours a week in the hospital for dialysis.
“Patients with kidney disease can experience narrowing of blood vessels, restricting blood flow,” he said.
“The new ultrasound units accurately reduce the number of needle insertion attempts, reducing pain and anxiety for our patients.
“Ultrasound guided cannulation reduces complications such as bleeding, bruising, and damage to the veins. It saves patient’s need to travel to big hospitals.”
Last week, on October 11, the Maryborough Lions Club’s Jenny Johnson and Lorraine Parker visited MDHS to see first-hand the impact of the group’s donation.
“I felt really happy and good, knowing that people were going to benefit from what the club has done,” Ms Johnson said.
“I wholeheartedly support this donation, as I believe it could have made a difference in my own medical experiences in the past.”
Funds for the hospital were raised through the Lions Club’s bookshop on High Street — with a portion of sales used for a number of charitable ventures.
“We’re very community-minded, that’s our first and foremost priority,” Ms Parker said.
“Through our donation, the hospital has been able to secure three ultrasound machines for three important departments, and it feels fantastic because we have been able to alleviate some level of burden off of patients and staff.”
The Lions club has been able to help the community in this way because of the community themselves, Ms Parker said.
“We do this through our bookshop and that depends on the community entirely,” she said.
“Every cent we take in the shop, it goes back into the community so residents help us when they decide to buy books from us.
“We have wonderful customers who come in because they know it’ll help the broader community too.”
This assistance certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by the hospital either, with MDHS CEO Nickola Allan very appreciative of the group’s efforts.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Lions club for their support,” she said.
“These portable ultrasound units made possible by the Maryborough Lions Club will enhance our ability to provide high-quality healthcare to our community.
“This contribution will enhance our diagnostic capabilities and improve patient care by giving our clinical staff the tools to perform essential imaging procedures on different wards.”