WHEN you ask anybody what one of the primary factors was that attracted them to a region, chances are they will mention that it had something to do with access to first-class healthcare.
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It may not seem like it, but the rather disturbing image of Health Minister John Elferink and Member for Katherine Willem Westra van Holthe hamming it up for the camera in a 750-litre bathtub will go a long way to ensuring that our town is slightly more appealing to both residents and those considering a move to a regional part of the Northern Territory.
Katherine Hospital has an enviable maternity ward following a $107,000 refurbishment that will allow expectant mothers to have water births in their own backyard, but there is a still a twisted, costly road ahead to fully develop the town’s medical capability.
With the push on to develop northern Australia, several high-profile pundits have mooted over the past 12 months that Katherine’s population will eventually swell to more than 25,000.
If that is to be the case, and our town is set to be transformed into something akin to a Top End Alice Springs, our elected representatives at all levels of government need to ensure that health infrastructure does not take a backseat.
A $500,000 chemotherapy unit scheduled to become operational later this year will provide a major boost to local cancer patients and their families, but Katherine Hospital is still missing critical infrastructure, including a full radiology suite.
There may not currently be enough votes in Katherine to warrant the multi-million-dollar expenditure required to alleviate frequent patient trips to Darwin, but if our town really is going to boom, a healthcare infrastructure plan is not something you want born behind the eight ball.