Heart of Australia Unveils National Expansion Plan

As it celebrates 10 years of providing specialist healthcare services to rural, remote and First Nations communities, Heart of Australia has announced that it is expanding the service nationally.

The organisation has partnered with the Commonwealth Government to co-deliver the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) to rural, remote and First Nations communities. The NLCSP is aimed at early detection of lung cancer, which will mean better health outcomes for patients across Australia.

Heart of Australia founder and cardiologist Dr Rolf Gomes, who made the announcement at the 10th Anniversary Gala on Saturday at the Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane, says the national expansion will see five new trucks join the current fleet.

The new lung screening service builds on Heart of Australia’s existing specialist services and other health programs, including preventative and occupational health screening, clinical trials and education for healthcare professionals and medical students.

Gomes says the national expansion will enable Heart of Australia to reach more communities and save more lives.

“Being able to combine our existing services with mobile radiology brings us one step closer to delivering a hospital on wheels to far-flung communities,” he says.

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“We thank all our corporate partners and supporters whose ongoing commitment and contribution has been a lifeline in helping us break down the tyranny of distance between the city and the bush.

“I would especially like to thank the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Honourable Mark Butler MP, for recognising the important role Heart of Australia plays in ensuring people living in rural and remote areas have the same access to medical specialists as those living in cities.”

The first new truck, HEART 7, is expected to be on the road by September 2025, with the remainder rolled out over the coming two years.

The new trucks will be modelled on HEART 5, which has delivered comprehensive respiratory health checks and radiology services throughout Queensland since 2022. This means that CT scans can be done anywhere at any time as part of the NLCSP.

“Over the past decade we’ve travelled more than a million kilometres in Queensland, bringing critical healthcare to nearly 20,000 patients, and saving more than 800 lives,” Gomes says.

“We’ve saved patients a culminative 38 million kilometres in travel for appointments, and this national expansion is testament to the success of our model and the undeniable value of delivering specialist healthcare in rural and remote Australia.”

After the new trucks join the fleet, there will be a total of 11 trucks providing specialist services, including lung cancer screening, preventative and occupational health screening, clinical trials and education for healthcare professionals and medical students.

“Being able to expand our existing services with mobile radiology brings us one step closer to delivering a hospital on wheels to far flung communities,” Gomes says.

“Thank you to all of the patients, GPs, corporate partners and supporters whose ongoing commitment and contribution has been a lifeline in helping us break down the tyranny of distance between the city and the bush.”

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