Over the past decade, Biomedical Technology Service (BTS) in Bundaberg has been busier than a coffee machine on a Monday morning racking up 13,149 new assets in their database, ticking off 27,480 work orders, and clocking a whopping 54,524 hours of elbow grease.
It’s a decade of dedication that turns statistics into stories of reliability, safety, and care.
The localisation of BTS began in 2015, when Peter Heath and Pam Jones saw the opportunity to transform an old, unused operating theatre on Level 2 into a brand-new workshop.
Until then, technicians had to travel from Brisbane every six months to support local hospitals, meaning broken equipment often had to sit idle until help arrived.
Service Manager Brian Colahan who has been with the service since implementation said establishing a base in Bundaberg has led to remarkable change.
What started with just two technicians has grown into a skilled team of seven, providing technical expertise across the entire Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service.
“Instead of waiting for parts or people to arrive from Brisbane, staff now have ready access to a professional technical team on site keeping equipment safe, reliable, and ready to use when patients and clinicians need it most,” he said.
Having a local team means faster turnaround times, reduced downtime for critical equipment, reduced travel costs and created service that truly understands the unique needs of rural and regional facilities.
A key part of the service has been to ensure the rural hospital equipment is up to date and standardised. This means where resources are limited, the ability to troubleshoot locally and repair quickly makes a world of difference.
Brian said one of the highlights of the past decade has been training the next generation.
“We have had our first cadet, Josh Stuart, who has become Bundaberg’s first “home grown” biomedical technician,” he said.
“Due to that success, it has paved the way for a second cadet to follow in his footsteps.”
Ten years on, the team has not only met expectations but exceeded them.
They’ve grown from two to seven, built strong relationships with clinical teams, and developed a reputation for being the people who “turn up, fix things, and leave” a modest way of describing a service that is now woven seamlessly into the way hospitals across Wide Bay operate.
With 450 BTS staff across Queensland and a dedicated team in Bundaberg, the service continues to prove that local solutions, backed by skilled people, make a lasting impact.