A mobile screening clinic will be in Adelaide this weekend ahead of its official launch later this year.
Rural Imaging Australia is giving football fans the opportunity to access a custom-built mobile screening clinic this weekend as the AFL world descends on Adelaide for the fourth iteration of Gather Round.
The $3.5 million truck, which is operated by the Mildura Base Public Hospital and will be formally launched later this year, contains the necessary technology to undertake up to 4000 skin checks, 4000 breast screens and thousands of cardiac assessments each year.
The mobile clinic is designed to deliver hospital-grade care to regional Victoria and bordering communities in South Australia and New South Wales, reducing many of the distance-related barriers that often prevent regional Australians from accessing healthcare.
Terry Welch, MBPH CEO, said the mobile clinic would be a “game changer” for regional Australia.
“Too often, people delay or miss critical health checks because getting to an appointment can mean taking a full day off work, organising care responsibilities and covering travel costs,” they told media.
“By bringing breast, skin and cardiac screening directly into communities, we are making early detection more accessible and helping remove distance as a barrier to care.”
The truck is fitted out with Vectra 2D full-body imaging technology, which can be used to detect potential skin cancers through high-resolution 3D skin maps. Dermatologists will remotely review skin maps through integrated virtual care pathways, meaning patients can be followed up more quickly and without needing to travel to a major metropolitan area.
BreastScreen Victoria will deliver the breast screening component of the mobile clinic, which also contains a Siemens Healthineers MAMMOMAT B.brilliant digital mammography system. The breast screening component will be limited to Victoria in the first instance (starting in July 2026), but the clinic hopes this will be expanded into other states in the near future.
“Seeing our mammography technology deployed in Rural Imaging Australia’s mobile clinic highlights the important role innovation plays in enabling earlier detection for women in the communities that need it most,” said Carli Bainger, Women’s Health Business Manager, Siemens Healthineers.
The mobile screening initiative is the result of a multi-year planning and development process led by Rural Imaging Australia and the MBPH Foundation, along with support from Sunbeam, La Roche-Posay, Chemist Warehouse, Mildura Fruit Juices Aust, Mildura Fruit Company, Mildura Greek Community, Canfield and Siemens Healthineers.
“For more than 100 years, Sunbeam has shared a deep connection with the Sunraysia farming community. We’re proud to have supported this important initiative since its inception in 2024, and remain firmly committed to supporting its ongoing care.” said Richard Meagher, managing director at Sunbeam Foods.
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Mario Tascone, deputy CEO of retail at Chemist Warehouse, said the organisation was excited to help drive the initiative, which focuses on prevention and early intervention.
“Early detection saves lives, yet for many people in regional communities, access to screening isn’t always easy. This mobile clinic is about changing that and bringing essential services closer to home,” he said.
Rural Imaging Australia’s truck will be located at the SEN Gather Round the Clock activation site at Festival Plaza, offering free cardiac and skin checks to fans from Thursday to Sunday.
Further information about the mobile clinic can be found on the MBPH website.
