Western District Health Service partners with HSV to procure new mammography unit

A new mammography unit will be installed at Western District Health Service (WDHS) next month after the community raised over $400,000 in funding to procure the new machine.

Having previously worked with HSV’s Equipment Sourcing team to procure a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, WDHS Director of Corporate Services Nick Starkie contacted the team again earlier this year. 

“Engaging HSV to assist us with the procurement process really benefits the organisation,” says Nick.

“They are experts in the field, and they have contracted suppliers in place, which ensures we secure the best equipment for our needs at the best possible price,” he says.

The new unit, which replaced an end-of-life machine, will have higher specifications and better-quality images. It’s also more comfortable and efficient for patients.

Western District Health Service, based in Hamilton, provides services for a population of around 36,000 in the local area, and carries out around 1,600 mammograms each year. The closest mammogram services are in Warrnambool which is over 100 kms away.

The health service raised the funds through donations and fundraising efforts including a gala event attended by over 300 people that raised $160,000.

Nick says he expects the new mammography unit to be operational in early November.

“We will only have two days when the community won’t have access to mammograms while they’re decommissioning the old machine and installing the new unit, he says.

WDHS previously worked with HSV’s Equipment Sourcing team on the procurement of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine which was installed in 2023.

A special pod weighing over 16 tonnes was built to house the unit. It was shipped 1,850 kms from Brisbane to Hamilton ahead of the installation.

HSV Head of Equipment Sourcing Mark Lennen says the Equipment Sourcing team offers market knowledge and specialist procurement expertise which can benefit smaller and regional health services.

“The health services we partner with know they are contractually protected and can gain access to the best of what the market has to offer,” Mark says.

Each year more than 21,000 Australians, including around 200 men, are diagnosed with breast cancer.

October is breast cancer awareness month and the National Breast Cancer Foundation is raising funds for research into prevention, detection and new and improved treatment to stop deaths from breast cancer.

Image above: Members of the Western District Health Service radiography team with the MRI machine procured in partnership with HSV.