WITH hot pink paintwork and weighing in at almost 12 tonnes, the new BreastScreenNT mobile scanning truck is anything but subtle.
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But while its eye-catching colour scheme will make it impossible to miss as it travels around the Northern Territory, the biggest impact it will have in remote indigenous communities is likely to take place behind closed doors.
The truck was officially unveiled by Health Minister Robyn Lambley in Barunga on July 23 and provided a unique opportunity for several women in the community to have a mammogram for the first time.
Member for Arnhem and Barunga resident Larisa Lee praised the launch of the truck, stating she believed it would make a “real difference” to the breast health of women in some of the NT’s most remote communities.
“Having the bus is going to make so much difference,” she said as she watched women sign up for a mammogram.
“The fear of driving into town is now taken away and I think the pink colour will help relax the ladies.”
The truck was funded by a $1.2 million investment by the federal government and will operate via a $415,000 annual funding commitment by the NT government.
Staffed by a radiographer - who will also act as a driver - and a receptionist, the truck features state-of-the-art digital mammography equipment and a satellite dish that, in ideal conditions, will allow images to be transmitted to Darwin for assessment in under five minutes.
Cancer screening services manager Karen Forster said the truck would revolutionise breast screening in the NT.
“It will change things hugely,” she said.
“Most of these women want to have a breast screen done but never have; those who have had one have had to travel long distances.”
The truck can scan 100 women every week and Mrs Lambley said it allowed remote women to overcome the “tyranny of distance”.
“It will encourage more women to access the test,” she said.
“Remote women have always had to travel hundreds, or sometimes a thousand kilometres to have a breast screen.”
As women in Barunga discussed the screening process with radiographers Sarah Webb and Louise Croft, Ms Lee said she believed the truck would create positive health outcomes for indigenous women well into the future.
“The kids are here watching what’s happening,” she said.
“That’s promoting it and teaching them about what they need to do.”