April 1, 2021
Kingaroy played host to another major conference in recent weeks … the biennial Red Ant Round-Up!
The medical conference, held at the Kingaroy TAFE campus on March 13-14, attracted more than 180 health professionals from across the Darling Downs region, including GPs, registrars, nurses, allied health professionals and students.
It was organised by the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN in conjunction with GPTQ and the Kingaroy GP Chapter Network.
The Red Ant Round-Up has been held in Kingaroy every two years since 2015.
It aims to provide a platform to deliver information to health professionals living and working in rural and regional communities to build the capacity of the rural health workforce.
It is also an opportunity for students and registrars to get a taste of rural medicine.
This year’s event focused on the topic of cancer, with expert speakers on the theme “The Big C: Detection, Management and Recovery” which explored the latest treatments and technologies.
Leading health professionals in their field were flown in from around the country to deliver presentations and workshops.
The conference program covered an extensive amount of content including prostate cancer detection and treatment, the latest developments in breast cancer management; detecting and removing suspicious skin lesions and the use of medicinal cannabis in pain management.
Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN CEO Merrilyn Strohfeldt said the conference has continued to increase in popularity since its inception in 2015.
“The Red Ant provides a great opportunity for rural health professionals to access education and training that you would usually have to travel to metropolitan areas to access while also highlighting the positives of working in rural health,” Ms Strohfeldt said.
“The conference not only delivers quality education, but it helps health professionals to build their networks, share education, skills and support.”
After a busy day of networking and learning, attendees were invited to a gala dinner held on the Saturday night at the Kingaroy Town Hall.
