Members from the Masonic Care in Armidale and Uralla presented the Armidale Rural Referral Hospital with a generous donation on Friday.
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The cash injection, worth almost $2500, was raised by donations and fundraisers through Masonic Care and will go towards purchasing a new morphine driver for the hospital.
Due to their expensive price tag, the drivers were less common in rural and remote hospitals but are an important part of providing good patient care, said Armidale Rural Referral Hospital’s director of nursing Tracey Davidson.
“The generous donation enables us to increase and enhance our facilities,” Ms Davidson said.
“The medical pump actually infuses the medication continuously so you don’t have to continue getting needles.
“It’s a constant infusion and it means the pain levels are constantly well controlled.”
Ms Davidson said the pumps were regularly used in palliative care patients to improve quality of life.
“Having a morphine pump here gives our patients access to the best method and the best possible way of delivering pain relief and medications to them that is available,” Ms Davidson said.
“This is a piece of technology that enhances our ability to make our patients comfortable and pain free.
“It means everything to our patients, basically our patients will be able to have access to top notch care and the best practice care, pain relief and comfort.”
Worshipful master of the Armidale Masonic Lodge, Mark Dusting presented the driver to Ms Davidson.
“We’re currently donating a morphine driver for palliative care,” Mr Dusting said.
“It’s worth about $2,400 and it’s been raised by the combined Masonic lodges in the area.
“[The money has been] donated or raised through sausage sizzles as well as raffle tickets,” Mr Dusting said.
“It is all voluntary and we get a 50-50 grant from Masonic Care to donate this money.”
Morphine and other syringe drivers are designed to deliver a constant flow of medication and are used when patients are unable to take medication orally.
This kind of medication delivery means that patients can enjoy a steady form of pain relief.
In addition to providing a continual flow of pain relief, morphine drivers also mean that the patient doesn’t have to endure discomfort from repetitive injections.
The Uralla Masonic Care branch has also donated a defibrillator to McMaugh Gardens in Uralla on Monday.
The machine will be available to be used for members of the McMaugh Gardens community as well as the public.
The electric apparatus is valued at over $3000.
