Supplies, staff flown into Ingham to provide relief

A team of dedicated staff at the Ingham Health Service have knuckled down throughout the torrential floodwaters and inclement weather that’s battered the region recently.

Ingham streets go underwater. Photo: Kieran Volpe.

A team of dedicated staff at the Ingham Health Service have knuckled down throughout the torrential floodwaters and inclement weather that’s battered the region recently.

Aside from doctors and nurses who’ve worked around the clock to provide medical services to patients, a host of administrate and support staff have worked tirelessly to keep the power on and services running as smoothly as possible during the wet weather.
Medical Superintendent Dr Selina Porter said many of her colleagues hadn’t seen home in nearly a week as the hardworking team faced incredible demand for their skills.
“It became clear early on that the floods could be as big as 1967, the biggest flood on record, so some of our staff made the commitment to stay at the hospital instead of going home, sleeping on makeshift beds and couches,” she said.

“As a health service, we’ve not only cared for those in need of medical treatment, but we have also taken in members of the community who rely on electricity for lifesaving equipment; at one point we had around 65 people in a 28-bed hospital.

Ingham medical staff take to the skies as floodwater hammers the region.

“We’ve had major plumbing issues, the town’s treatment plant generator failed at one point forcing us to rely on hospital water, and there were also challenges in keeping the hospital generator running.

“Throughout this event, we’ve experienced multiple tragedies, including a drowning, we’ve also cared for some very sick people coming into the emergency department, but amid the hardship we’ve seen the joy of new life, with our teams safely delivering two beautiful babies.

“We’ve all lost track of time over the past week, but our team has pulled together and done whatever was required to care for this tight-knit community during its time of need.”

Some staff even cut short their leave to pitch in, like Director of Nursing Janine Johnson, who curtailed her long service leave in order to be there for her colleagues.

“We’ve had nurses, doctors and support staff doing double shifts, working tirelessly to keep everything running, not stopping until the job was done,” she said.

“The health service’s Building, Engineering, and Maintenance Service (BEMS) teams have also been instrumental in supporting us, working tirelessly to keep the hospital running despite major infrastructure challenges.

“We also need to give a very special shout out to the people of Ingham for bringing in food when the power went out and for sending lots of messages of support. Our local mayor and council have also been very supportive to the health service during this period.”

With roads to Ingham cut off, helicopter flights are being used to not only fly in essential supplies, but also fresh staff from Townsville in order to provide relief for the hard-working Ingham crews.

Originally published as Supplies, staff flown into Ingham to provide relief