First mobile CT scan coming to WA in bid to screen more regional and mining communities
A mobile CT scan could be the key to early detection of life-threatening diseases in regional patients, who currently have to wait weeks or travel to Perth for a screening.
The CT scan — in-built into a trailer — will be the first-of-its-kind in WA in a bid to service mining towns and regional communities that don't have easy access to the screening tool, which provides highly detailed images of internal organs to help diagnose injuries and diseases.
It is hoped the mobile scanner will be able to detect lung cancer, heart disease, and silicosis — a serious lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust — earlier.
There are only 10 CT scanners in the public health system across regional WA — two each in the Pilbara, Goldfields, Kimberley, Wheatbelt, and Mid West.
Tibi Healthcare founder Nell Gillett, who thought of the idea after seeing gaps in healthcare for mining communities, said it was a service that was 'so desperately needed'.
'Particularly when you're talking about lung cancer, the rates of disease and outcome measures are always worse for regional community members, typically because their disease is found late,' she said.
'They may have had a cough for a couple of weeks but there's no one in town to actually be able to deal with that so their outcome measures are absolutely worse.'
Dr Gillett said the trailer would also visit mining communities to check workers for silicosis.
Siemens Healineers manager Neil Foster, who was a part of engineering the CT scanner, said access to this screening could be life-changing for people.
'The communities access to health care is very limited by distance, by time, and by their personal circumstances to travel to places like Perth,' he said.
'A lot of the infrastructure in those towns doesn't have the capabilities that you have on this machine so to have an equivalent service, they might have to travel thousands of kilometres.
'Half of the world's population has limited access to care and so to actually find people in that situation in an affluent country like Australia, and Western Australia in particular, I think it's really quite a meaningful problem to be able to address.'
The custom-built trailer, named Dr Bobby after Dr Gillett's late father, is also equipped with a consultation room and a room for telehealth appointments.
This means regional patients could do their scan and get results from their specialist all in one visit rather than face a wait.
The availability of this mobile service will be aligned with the upcoming National Lung Cancer Screening Program, which launches in July.
The program will check for lung cancer in high-risk people aged between 50 to 70 who do not have symptoms and will prioritise mobile screening services in remote and regional Australia.
The trailer's first stop will be the Pilbara region in July.
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West Australian
14-06-2025
- West Australian
First mobile CT scan coming to WA in bid to screen more regional and mining communities
A mobile CT scan could be the key to early detection of life-threatening diseases in regional patients, who currently have to wait weeks or travel to Perth for a screening. The CT scan — in-built into a trailer — will be the first-of-its-kind in WA in a bid to service mining towns and regional communities that don't have easy access to the screening tool, which provides highly detailed images of internal organs to help diagnose injuries and diseases. It is hoped the mobile scanner will be able to detect lung cancer, heart disease, and silicosis — a serious lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust — earlier. There are only 10 CT scanners in the public health system across regional WA — two each in the Pilbara, Goldfields, Kimberley, Wheatbelt, and Mid West. Tibi Healthcare founder Nell Gillett, who thought of the idea after seeing gaps in healthcare for mining communities, said it was a service that was 'so desperately needed'. 'Particularly when you're talking about lung cancer, the rates of disease and outcome measures are always worse for regional community members, typically because their disease is found late,' she said. 'They may have had a cough for a couple of weeks but there's no one in town to actually be able to deal with that so their outcome measures are absolutely worse.' Dr Gillett said the trailer would also visit mining communities to check workers for silicosis. Siemens Healineers manager Neil Foster, who was a part of engineering the CT scanner, said access to this screening could be life-changing for people. 'The communities access to health care is very limited by distance, by time, and by their personal circumstances to travel to places like Perth,' he said. 'A lot of the infrastructure in those towns doesn't have the capabilities that you have on this machine so to have an equivalent service, they might have to travel thousands of kilometres. 'Half of the world's population has limited access to care and so to actually find people in that situation in an affluent country like Australia, and Western Australia in particular, I think it's really quite a meaningful problem to be able to address.' The custom-built trailer, named Dr Bobby after Dr Gillett's late father, is also equipped with a consultation room and a room for telehealth appointments. This means regional patients could do their scan and get results from their specialist all in one visit rather than face a wait. The availability of this mobile service will be aligned with the upcoming National Lung Cancer Screening Program, which launches in July. The program will check for lung cancer in high-risk people aged between 50 to 70 who do not have symptoms and will prioritise mobile screening services in remote and regional Australia. The trailer's first stop will be the Pilbara region in July.
7NEWS
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- 7NEWS
Aussie grandmother diagnosed on her birthday with lung cancer, the same disease that killed husband
A grandmother has been diagnosed on her birthday with the same cancer that killed her husband 18 years ago. Jenny Egan was delivered the shocking news that a large mass had been found on her lung on May 7, when she was meant to be celebrating turning 64. Egan, from Fishing Point in NSW, is now preparing to begin treatment for stage four lung cancer which has grown onto her chest wall and spread into her adrenal gland. 'I was just crying. I was devastated for my kids having to go through this again,' Egan told of the moment she learned her life had been turned upside down. '(My husband) was given 12 months and that's how long he lived.' Egan, a patient transfer officer with State Medical Assistance, set an appointment with a doctor when she started feeling serious chest pain whenever she coughed, laughed or would lie down. But she almost cancelled the booking on the day because, by then, the pain had subsided. Going to the appointment, she had tests and less than 24 hours later — on her birthday — she was hauled back in to hear the shocking news. 'I was thinking 'oh my God. How can I have lung cancer?' There's no pain and I didn't feel any different to how I have always felt,' she said. Doctors told her the cancer could not be surgically removed. She will begin radiation for the metastatic lesion on her adrenal gland next week, followed by chemotherapy and radiation to her lung. Her daughter, Brittney Egan, said the treatment 'will hopefully extend her chances of being with us for a little while longer, but with her strength, we are hoping for more'. 'We are so thankful on where things are today with treatments because 15 years ago the doctors would have palliated (Egan) and not given her very long left with us,' she said. 'It's going to take me' Egan, a grandmother-to-two and mother-of-two, said she will continue to fight. 'It is going to take me but I don't know when. I don't know much time I have,' she said. 'I'm on a bit of a rollercoaster ride — laughing one moment and then in a ball crying the next. 'I'm not giving up. I've been knocked down a thousand times before but I will not give up.' Egan told her health blow comes after she was the victim of a scam last year that left the fiercely independent grandmother unable to dip into her super or savings to cover mounting out-of-pocket costs. Loved ones and strangers have chipped in generously via a GoFundMe to help with medical and living expenses. Egan said she was 'overwhelmed' by those offering to help in her time of need. National Lung Cancer Screening Program Lung cancer is among the most common cancers in Australian men and women, with more than 15,000 cases diagnosed in 2024. It is Australia's deadliest cancer, with more than 9000 deaths attributed to lung cancer in 2022. The Lung Foundation Australia is hopeful a National Lung Cancer Screening Program being launched in July will help detect cases earlier, when treatment is most effective. The program aims to save 12,000 lives over the next decade by using CT scans to look for lung cancer in high-risk people without any symptoms. 'There's hope that the tide will turn and it will be far more common that people will be diagnosed at earlier stages of the disease like other common cancers in Australia, giving people better treatment options and the opportunity to live well for longer,' Lung Foundation Australia chief executive Mark Brooke told To be eligible for the program, you need to be between 50 and 70 years of age and have a history of cigarette smoking.
The Age
11-06-2025
- The Age
Living better for longer: The health checks for your 40s, 50s and beyond
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for preventative health checks, individual factors– including family or personal medical history, gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle – influence which tests a person should undertake, as well as when to begin them and the frequency at which they are performed. However, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) does recommend certain health screens for the general population at each decade of life. In your 40s 'By your early 40s, you should have a thorough check-up, including history and a full physical examination,' says Dunne. Certain regular health screenings should also begin. These include annual blood pressure monitoring from age 40 and STI tests if you are sexually active. Five-yearly blood tests for cholesterol, glucose, cell counts, and nutrition deficiency, as well as bowel cancer screening, should begin at age 45. Loading Skin cancer checks are recommended due to the increased risk with age, and due to a trend of increasing colon cancer in people under age 50, the Australian government has recently changed the starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, says Ding. In your 50s Natasha Yates, assistant professor of general practice at Bond University, says that people in their 50s should continue all the health screenings from their 40s, with the addition of some others. 'Add a bone health assessment and consider screening for osteoporosis, especially if risk factors are present,' she says. 'Vision and hearing tests to detect age-related changes are also recommended.' Yates says the National Lung Cancer Screening Program is due to commence in July this year. It will offer two-yearly low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer in asymptomatic patients aged 50 to 70 who are deemed to be at high risk from smoking, she says. In your 60s In addition to existing screenings, Yates says that a cognitive function evaluation, which assesses for signs of cognitive decline or dementia, should be undertaken. Similarly, a physical functioning screening for preventing falls and frailty should also be considered, adds Ding. 70s and beyond In your 70s, on top of existing checks, ensure your immunisations, including tetanus and shingles, are up-to-date, says Dunne. 'There is a funded vaccination program for older Australians, including influenza, COVID, shingles and pneumococcal pneumonia,' he says. Gendered screenings Due to anatomy and physiology, women and men each have unique health risks, which warrant their own specific health screenings. 'For example, whereas women are at risk of cancers of the cervix, ovaries and uterus, men are at risk of prostate cancer,' says Dunne. Gender can also impact their approach to healthcare. 'Unlike women, who are often introduced to regular health screenings from a young age, such as pap smears, breast checks, and GP visits for contraception, men typically don't develop the same routine health-seeking behaviours,' Dunne says. 'This makes early detection for men especially important, as they are more likely to delay seeking help until symptoms become severe.' Health screenings for men 40 + Men in their 40s should discuss with their GP screening tests for things like prostate cancer, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. 'Your GP will consider your individual circumstances, including family history, when recommending when to begin these tests,' says Dunne. Screening tests and regular GP check-ups should continue through your 50s and 60s. Health screening for women 40 + Women are going through a lot during their 40s and 50s, says general practitioner Judith Hammond of women's health clinic, Jean Hailes. 'Peri menopause, menopause … women start to get to that sandwich generation, when they are working, worried about children who need support and supporting elderly parents, life really gets quite crushed around that time,' she says. In this period, it is increasingly important for women to undergo mental health screening, she says. Additionally, regular breast cancer screening via free mammograms can be undertaken from age 40. Although mammography is recommended every two years for women aged 50–74, those at moderately increased risk [including a family history of breast cancer] should consider mammography screening from the age of 40, says Hammond. Cervical cancer screening – which can be self-collected in a private space within a healthcare facility – is recommended every five years for women aged 25–74 who have ever had sexual contact, even if they are not currently in a sexual relationship. From the age of 70, it is also recommended that women have bone density scans every five years.
