One of the new monitors at Centenary Hospital. Photo: Supplied.
New clinical monitors that can detect changes in blood oxygen levels in premature babies will boost the level of care for newborns at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
The Four Sentec Digital Monitoring systems were bought with $82,000 donated by the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Meegan Fitzharris said the highly accurate and non-invasive monitors provided real-time information and could detect sudden changes in the blood oxygen levels which could cause serious complications in premature babies.
“This innovative medical equipment minimises the need for fragile newborns to undergo blood tests and enables continuous monitoring so immediate action can be taken should any changes in bleeding occur,” she said.
She thanked Peter Cursley, Chair of the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation (NICF) on behalf of ACT Health, for the generous donation.
“Valuable donations like this enable our medical practitioners to deliver high-quality care that benefits babies and their families in the neonatal unit at Centenary Hospital,” she said.
“Previous support by the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation has contributed towards the purchase of medical equipment, which continues to improve clinical care for our smallest patients at Centenary Hospital, as well as research projects that focus on staff education and family support.
“We have such a strong community bond here in Canberra and I look forward to the continuing relationship between ACT Health, the Canberra Hospital Foundation and the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation, so we can continue to help families from Canberra and the surrounding region.”
The Newborn Intensive Care Foundation is a local charity that raises money for medical equipment, research and nurse education to help give the ACT and Southern NSW’s critically ill newborn babies, the best chance to lead healthy, normal lives.
For more information or to make a donation go to https://newborn.org.au/
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