Rotary Clubs across Southland and Otago have collaborated to fund vital medical equipment for Te Waka Wahine Hauora, The Woman’s Health Bus.

The clubs have contributed more than $40,000 to purchase a point-of-care machine that will expand the testing capability of the Woman’s Health Bus and reduce wait times for patients.

Woman’s Health Bus co-director Dr Helen Paterson said the support of the Rotary Clubs has been extraordinary.

“We were amazed,” Helen said.

“It is absolutely fabulous that the community has got on board with this project and our hope is that we will be able to give back to the community equivalently in care.”  

Helen said the new equipment is a game-changer for the mobile service enabling testing, diagnostic, and treatment on the same day.

“What we are hoping to achieve is a service where more people will get more access to testing and treatment if required,” she said.

The Woman’s Health Bus provides a mobile health service across Southland and Otago focused on rural areas where access to medical care often involves significant inconvenience (day off work) and expense to the patient.

The Cepheid Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine can perform up to four tests at the same time.

The new ‘mini-lab’ will make it easier for rural women to access preventative medical testing with results available immediately and, where required, a colposcopy can be performed on the same day. Helen says this will remove known barriers to health care and ensure women are not ‘lost’ due to long delays.

The Rotary Club of Wānaka initiated the funding after it learned that 28 percent of women in the Southern district had never had a smear test, partly due to expense and inconvenience.

Club president Alan Richardson said Rotary clubs across the southern region quickly supported the project.

“We all live in rural communities and we know how hard it can be to get the medical care needed,” Alan said.

“We invited regional Rotary clubs to make this purchase a reality and within days we had the funds needed to purchase this vital medical equipment.

“It makes us all proud to be Rotarians when we see this type of collaboration and know that we are making a real difference in people's lives.”

The new Cepheid PCR machine has been installed and is now used by the Woman’s Health Bus service.

Funders include the Rotary Clubs of Wānaka, Alexandra, Cromwell, Balclutha, Invercargill North, Mosgiel, Milton, Queenstown, and Fiordland, with a matching grant from Rotary District #9999.