Mackay Base Hospital cardiac catheterisation lab closing for upgrades, up to 240 patients affected

People with heart emergencies will be forced to travel out of a regional Queensland city as the only cardiac cath lab within 400km closes to replace out-of-date equipment — but the sitting MP was first told by this masthead.

After 10 years of operation the cardiac catheter lab at Mackay Base Hospital will shut for upgrades, sending patients in need of urgent care to Townsville.

Heart attack victims requiring urgent care will once again have to travel to Townsville as Mackay’s Cardiac Catheter lab shuts for months to replace equipment.

The Mackay Base Hospital lab will close for up to 12 weeks, affecting up to 240 patients, including people who need emergency surgery — but Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert wasn’t told before this masthead started asking questions.

When asked what happens to people in Mackay who have heart attacks, a Mackay Hospital and Health Service (MHHS) spokeswoman said patients would be “cared for and stabilised in Mackay” before being “transferred to the nearest Queensland Health facility with the capacity to treat them”.

The nearest Queensland Health facility with that capacity is in Townsville.

First opened in 2014 under then Premier Campbell Newman, the Cardiac Catheter Laboratory has potentially saved thousands of lives. Photo Lee Constable

In a best-case scenario, the lab would be closed for two months and reopen by the end of the year.

The MHHS spokeswoman said the closure was necessary as crucial equipment had reached the 10-year end-of-life period.

“The replacement of the Cardiac Catheter Lab equipment will enhance the hospital’s diagnostic capabilities, allowing for more accurate and timely detection of heart conditions,” they said.

It is unclear why there were no contingencies built into the MHHS system in the decade since it was opened, given the equipment was always going to need to be replaced at this time.

The MHHS spokeswoman said the full scope of works and timing for the replacement are still being finalised and are “contingent on procurement of necessary equipment”.

It is also unclear why Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman did not tell Mackay the heart lab would be temporarily closing when they announced an uncosted satellite hospital with no clue where it would be built, less than a week ago.

Prior to the opening of the cardiac catheterisation lab, heart attack patients had to be flown to Townsville.

Cardiac catheterisation, a procedure where a cardiologist threads a thin, hollow tube, through a blood vessel and into your heart, is a vital treatment for heart attack victims and patients with heart conditions.

Mackay’s cath lab was opened in 2014 and scored an additional $4.5m in funding to extend their services 24hrs a day in 2020.

In the 12 months before that expansion, 78 patients had to be transferred to Townsville Hospital for out of hours care.

Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert was serving as assistant health minister from 2020-2023 and pushed for additional funding for the lab, allowing it to remain open 24/7.

“Most people have heart attacks in the middle of the night,” Ms Gilbert told this masthead earlier this month.

“Having a team here means people can get their catheters in, stents in straight away.

“People have stopped dying.”

Julieanne Gilbert, who listed opening the lab 24/7 as one of her top achievements in parliament, was unaware of its future temporary closure.

Despite being Mackay’s sitting MP, and calling it her favourite achievement, Ms Gilbert was in the dark that the lab was shutting.

“They hadn’t informed me,” she said.

“I’d have to speak to the health minister.”

Hours later, this masthead received quotes in Ms Gilbert’s name from Queensland Health.

“Planning for these works is currently underway to ensure critical cardiac care remains available, but it will mean some patients will be diverted to receive care at other facilities for a short period of time whilst equipment is upgraded,” Ms Gilbert said.

“This is crucial to ensure the Mackay community can continue accessing services closer to home, for generations to come.”

Mackay Base Hospital faced heavy criticism after failures which led to the multiple babies in 2023

Before 2014, patients had no choice but to travel or be flown to Townsville for the installation of stents, pacemakers or lifesaving emergency procedures.

At a 10-year anniversary celebration in February, Director of Cardiology Dr Michael Zhang said the lab has treated more than 700 patients each year, steadily increasing.

Dr Zhang said the lab’s gold-standard when treating patients suffering “massive heart attacks” demonstrated people in the Mackay region received the same level of care as in a major city.

“In fact Mackay is one of only two regional hospitals in Queensland, who currently provide 24/7 emergency interventional services for acute massive heart attack,” Dr Zhang said.

In its first year, Mackay’s cath lab completed 463 angiograms to diagnose blockages in arteries.

By its 10th anniversary, the service had completed 9835 angiograms, 2722 stents and 572 permanent pacemakers and defibrillators.