Editor’s message

This year will be long remembered for many reasons… reasons that have been disruptive, confronting, challenging, unhealthy (in more than 60 million cases) and tragic (in more than 1.43 million cases). It is also a year where we have been forced to do things differently, and had to learn how to cope with massive change – and it has lent new meaning to old worlds – pivot, adapt, new normal – and delivered a new vocabulary to many of us – Coronavirus, pre-COVID, post-COVID, pandemic.

It is a year where healthcare has been front and centre in everybody’s consciousness and suddenly more people are aware of healthcare engineering and the serious role it has to play in keeping our community safe. So whilst IHEA exists to serve this important arena of activities – those in the arena have been overrun with pressures, not previously seen or experienced.

In this edition we share with you a number of excellent case studies and technical papers to remind us all of the great work that is being done here in Australia and further abroad. Included herein are the experiences of long time IHEA member, Rafx Hamiliton of Cabrini Health and his Gandel Building development highlighting the need for quality IT and comms in modern healthcare projects.

We also provide a more in-depth look at the Macksville hospital project that we summarised in last edition, and the cover article on the Townsville University Hospital’s Magnetic Resonance Radiation Therapy installation – a one of a kind in Australia. Thank you to our members and stakeholders for sharing these excellent case studies.

COVID has highlighted the need for a global focus on healthcare, yet at the 2018 IHEA / IFHE Congress in Brisbane, before COVID was in our vocabulary, Doctors without Borders showed us that international healthcare can cooperate across political and social divides – something we need more than ever before.

The ever present threat of infection has been heightened with the year that has been, and the future that is upon us, so we thank our supporters who have focussed on infection prevention and control strategies in healthcare environments – these are worthy conversations for every healthcare engineering professional to be involved in. Being aware of new and emerging solutions to address problems both new and old is something that IHEA can assist with through its networking and engagement opportunities.

I’d like to thank all of our journal contributors, sponsors and stakeholders and Adbourne Publishing for their work throughout 2020 – as we look with anticipation towards 2021, I hope we get the opportunity to be together again in person to continue to benefit from the networks created and supported by IHEA.

I hope you enjoy some rest and recreation over the festive season, and enjoy time with those who are most important to you. Take care and stay safe.

Regards Darryl Pitcher – Editor