THE health sector in the North West had its highs and lows this year, reporting both successes and failures in different areas.
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The aftermath of the Block C closure at the Mount Isa Hospital still saw departments and patients displaced at the beginning of the year, but areas were reopened by mid-year, along with the official opening of the next stage of development.
The new ED received rave reviews from patients, touted as a bright and inviting space with an increased number of beds and equipment bringing the department in line with emergency areas across the state.
The state of the McKinlay bush nurse clinic was one to keep an eye on all year, with funding cuts and changing of the guard keeping it in jeopardy for most of the year.
Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter went into bat for the clinic a number of times, and an eventual $200,000 funding kick from the state government in November has meant the much-needed clinic will stay open with a nurse to be positioned there permanently, and a transient staff member to visit from Cloncurry in the interim.
The GP Super Clinic Mount Isa was promised more than three years ago still hasn't opened its doors in the city, but reports as recently as November say we should see the service up and running by May.