The Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service is working with the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council, the Queensland Ambulance Service and other state government agencies and non-government health providers to return health services to normal at Wujal Wujal as soon as possible.
Currently, clean water and sewerage services are not available at Wujal Wujal and other State Government agencies and the local council are working hard to restore these.
As a result of the flooding event, many Wujal Wujal residents have been relocated to Cooktown or Cairns but there are also many residents that have remained in the community.
We have been in regular communication with the shire council and local residents about their needs and, in partnership with QAS, we are ensuring all emergencies and urgent care needs are being responded to by a paramedic stationed within Wujal Wujal township.
Any low acuity community residents needing to attend appointments or review at Cooktown Medical Centre are having transport arranged for them to access their services.
We also have a Registered Nurse and Health Worker performing home visits to community members at Ayton, Degarra and Bloomfield three days a week for chronic disease management, primary health care, and medication management.
This service is available to any community member in the affected region.
I’d like to thank all our health service staff who have been involved in the ongoing Wujal Wujal and surrounding area recovery effort for their support in ensuring community residents continue to have access to vital health services.
From 30 January, doctors will be available at Cooktown Medical Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays for all displaced Wujal Wujal residents in Cooktown, as well as residents of the Ayton/Bloomfield/Degarra/China Camp area.
Transport to and from Cooktown will be arranged by the Torres and Cape HHS as needed and we are also engaging with external partners to expand transport options into Cooktown from the Ayton area on those days.
Displaced Wujal Wujal residents in Cairns are being supported by multiple external agencies including Centacare, Wuchopperen, Cape York Partnerships, Apunipima Cape York Health Council and Mookai Rosie.
The Torres and Cape HHS also is supporting vulnerable community members through the Clinical Coordination Hub in Cairns and our Nurse Navigation Team.
We are partnering with QBuild to undertake the work of cleaning out the Wujal Wujal clinic and staff accommodation and checking the structural integrity of the buildings.
While this remediation work is undertaken, we are looking at various options, including modular or other temporary structures, to re-establish on-site clinical services from a Torres and Cape HHS facility once community sewerage and clean water services are fully restored.
We will continue to support the Wujal Wujal and surrounding communities and listen to residents as they work to rebuild after the recent flooding.
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