General News
3 September, 2026
Calls for local CT scanner
A PETITION will be presented to State Member for Cook David Kempton by Cooya Beach resident Penelope Haberfeld, asking for support and signatures from local residents and covers three concerns, including a CT scanner at Mossman Hospital.
Firstly, the petition requests the purchase and installation of a CT scanner to prevent what is described as lengthy and risky interhospital transfers to Cairns Hospital.
Secondly, the restoration of maternity services to prevent born before arrival (BBA) deliveries causing risks to mother and baby and returning to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards, as were formerly available to birthing women from 1878-2004
Thirdly, the increase of the pharmacy budget to cover all inpatient medications and facilitate chemotherapy to be delivered to Douglas Shire patients at Mossman Hospital.
Ms Haberfeld, who describes herself as an advocate for the community, has approached Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS), with concerns regarding its attitude towards the residents of Douglas Shire.
At a meeting at Mossman Hospital, Ms Haberfeld expressed her worries about the time and distance logistics from Mossman to Cairns and Mossman to Mareeba, saying that they were under-estimated by a former director general of health and Ms Haberfeld now believes that these thoughts still persist in the minds of the current executive.
She said the official distance to Mossman from Cairns is 78.1km, not 66km and the actual travel time was 60 minutes. Mareeba was over 70km from Mossman, and frequently isolated by floodwaters and cyclones.
“The time is well outside the limits of the OECD’s acceptable limits for travel to maternity services.
“The OECD standard is 30 minutes for a labouring woman to a maternity service.
“Thirty-one to 60 minutes doubles the chance of born before arrival and beyond 60 minutes triples the chance of BBA.”
The lack of a CT scanner was discussed during Ms Haberfeld’s meeting at Mossman Hospital.
CHHHS chief executive Leena Singh said that Mossman Multi-Purpose Health Service was a rural facility designed to provide essential local healthcare services, while more complex and higher-risk services were delivered at larger hospitals.
“A CT service requires more than equipment alone, including appropriate infrastructure and supporting clinical services,” she said.
Ms Singh said Mossman did not have the infrastructure, specialist staffing or birth numbers to support a safe and sustainable birthing service - a situation simar to chemotherapy treatment.
