More funding for Meditrans - but more drivers also needed

Funding for the Goondiwindi region’s Meditrans service has been extended to mid-2021 to support local access to specialist health services – but more drivers are needed to ensure the community’s needs are met.

The Meditrans service has continued to operate throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with a COVIDsafe plan in place, providing important access to essential healthcare for many in our community.

For those residents whose regular support networks are now affected by the closure of the Queensland border, Meditrans may be the only way they are able to get to their medical appointments.

The service is made possible by a team of generous volunteers who give their time to keep the wheels on the road - however, more volunteer drivers are urgently needed to ensure it can continue.

If you are able to volunteer - driving as little as a few times a year - your assistance would greatly help our region and ensure our community members can access the specialist medical care they need.

Numerous local businesses within our community also generously support the Meditrans service: Tait Toyota kindly donated a sponsored vehicle and continue to maintain it with regular services; Goondiwindi Tyre Service (GTS) generously assist with the maintenance of tyres and wheel alignments; and The Larder and OK Milk Bar kindly donate coffee for the volunteer drivers.

Sincere thanks are also due to the drivers themselves.

Goondiwindi Regional Council has collaborated with Darling Downs Health and Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN since 2017 to establish the Meditrans service. The service transports patients to Toowoomba to access specialist medical care that cannot be accessed in the Goondiwindi region.

For more information about Meditrans, please contact Council’s Co-ordinator of Centre and Community Care Sue Salisbury on 0436 668 763.