MONASH Medical Centre staff usually spend their days worrying about other people’s health; recently, however, the hospital’s doctors, nurses and staff have been concentrating on themselves.
The staff have been doing various fitness challenges to raise money for four new portable heart monitors for Monash Children’s Hospital.
The monitors will help nurses keep an eye on their young patients’ hearts in the children’s ward, rather than sending them across to the adult part of the hospital.
Head of Monash Children’s, Professor Nick Freezer, said the new monitors would make a big difference for the children.
‘‘At the moment, if they need cardiac monitoring, they have to go to intensive care (ICU) or the primary care unit,’’ he said. ‘‘Primary care is an adult environment. 99per cent of the patients are adults, which is not appropriate for children. It will make a huge difference. They’ll be monitored in a child-friendly environment.
‘‘It will also make a huge difference to the families of the children who come to visit, because the ICU is not a great environment for children.’’
Professor Freezer said the monitors would be used for a range of conditions to treat children receiving specific medications, those with heart rhythm problems and those being treated for eating disorders.
The hospital needs to raise $100,000 to get the four monitors and has been organising staff events to contribute to the cause.
The hospital’s first fitness fund-raiser was a charity exercise class.
The next fund-raiser is at Run Melbourne on Sunday. About 50 staff will swap their scrubs for running gear to take part in the long-distance run.
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