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Planning your elective--the Torres Straits
Mark Wilson gives you some tips on organising an elective in the Torres Straits
This week's elective report gives a detailed description of life in the Torres Straits, a group of over 70 islands just north of Cape Horn, Queensland, Australia. It is not a common elective destination, principally because of difficulty in finding information and its remote location. This article aims to give some details of formal organisations on the islands.
The hospitals and healthcare service
Torres Straits has two hospitals and a number of primary healthcare facilities.
The Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Health Service District is run from Thursday Island Hospital, Douglas Street, PO Box 391, Thursday Island, Queensland 4875 (Tel: +61 7 4069 0200 (for the health service), +61 7 4069 1109 (for the hospital), Fax: +61 7 4069 1603). This is the main hospital for the region, and it has 36 beds (a 30 bed general ward which contains two high dependency and four paediatric beds). There is also an eight bed maternity unit and an accident and emergency department, all of which cater for the needs of the residents of Thursday Island and the Outer Islands of the Torres Straits (population about 8500.) The medical superintendent is Dr Peter Holt. There is an operating suite and emergency, general medical, and maternity services. Specialist services that are present include diabetes, paediatrics, adult mental health, and surgery. There are a number of visiting specialties such as ophthalmology, vascular surgery, and gynaecology.
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Immunisations
Typhoid, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria and tuberculosis are all recommended. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea has malaria. Enquire with your local occupational health department or travel clinic for up to date information.
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Thursday Island also has the area's main primary healthcare centre: Thursday Island Primary Health Care Centre, Douglas Street, PO Box 624, Thursday Island, Queensland 4875 (Tel: +61 7 4069 0400, Fax: +61 7 4069 2045). The director is Mr Poi Pensio, and the medical superintendent is Dr Wendy Mackay. A number of other much smaller primary healthcare centres can be found on the other islands (see map). Contact Thursday Island Primary Health Care Centre for details on visiting the smaller units.
The second hospital for the region is Bamaga Hospital, Sagaukaz Street, Queensland 4876 (Tel: +61 7 40 693 166, Fax: +61 7 40 693 314). This is a new 14 bed hospital providing general medical, emergency, maternity, and paediatric care. The medical superintendent is Dr John Cleary.
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Visas
As with any elective in Australia you require a visitor's visa (tourist class (Class 676)), available free of charge from the High Commission (The Strand, London WC2B 4LA) (for visa info call: the cost-a-packet phone line: 0891 699 333 or the poor hard up student line (open only between 2 pm and 4 pm) 020 7887 5637) Alternatively visit www.australia.org.uk
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The main referral hospitals for these regions are: Cairns (850 km), Townsville (1200 km), and the Royal Brisbane (2900 km). If you are thinking of visiting these islands for an elective, but don't want to spend your entire time there, it may well be worth arranging an elective at one of these referral hospitals and organising a trip with a team that do visiting clinics.
Mark Wilson author of the Medics Guide to Work and Electives around the World, University College Hospital, London
Mark@medicstravel.com
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