New medical equipment funded by BHP will improve access to ear and hearing care in the Pilbara, helping patients in remote areas avoid travelling to Perth for treatment.
A collaboration between Ear Science Institute Australia’s Healthy Hearing Outback team, BHP, and Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS) is behind the initiative to build local capacity and strengthen access to healthcare on Country.
In May 2025, medical equipment sponsored by BHP was delivered and installed at PAMS clinics across Newman, Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu, and Kunawarritji, Aboriginal communities in Western Australia’s Pilbara region in the Western Desert.
Ear Science has worked alongside PAMS for more than a decade to deliver the Healthy Hearing Outback Program. The initiative provides essential audiology and ENT services to the Martu and Nyiyaparli communities in Newman and the Western Desert, some of the most remote Aboriginal communities in Australia.
This helps to detect and treat ear conditions that can significantly impact health and wellbeing.
To support the equipment rollout, Ear Science facilitated hands-on training for PAMS clinicians at its Subiaco headquarters in Perth.
Dr Luke O’Neil, an ENT consultant, and Ms Jessica Yiannos, Ear Science audiologist and research assistant, led a session for Dr Cara Sheppard, a GP and senor medical officer with PAMS, and Mr Suhas Putta, a remote area nurse with PAMS.
The session focused on the use of advanced diagnostic and treatment tools now available in remote clinics.
“Training doctors and nurses on the ground in the use of suction and a microscope will enable patients to access healthcare they would otherwise have to travel to Perth for,” Dr O’Neil said.
“The utilisation of the equipment will also enable regular medical staff to discuss clinical cases with ENT surgeons in Perth with more information, assisting in diagnosis and management.”
Prevents travelling long distances for treatment
The equipment includes five VorOtek microsuction units and a VorOtek binocular scope, an Ambu nasolaryngoscope and two Zeiss OPMI Pico microscopes to enhance the capability to deliver on-country care and reduce the need for community members to travel long distances for specialist treatment.
“Suction and a microscope are vital pieces of equipment for an ENT surgeon,” Dr O’Neil said. “Having them on Country enables us to make better clinical diagnoses and decisions, thus saving patients costly and disruptive trips to Perth.”
Putta said the practical training with the ear suction machine was the most valuable part of the training.
“I can now use the equipment in daily practice to remove discharge, wax, or foreign bodies which will improve the ear health outcomes for the people in the communities that I work,” he said.
Another training session is planned to further upskill local nurses, ensuring long-term sustainability of care in the region.
“ENT visits to remote communities are still a rare commodity,” Dr O’Neil noted. “Having necessary equipment and local staff trained in their use will reduce the time patients need to suffer from readily reversible ear health problems.”
The initiative is part of the Healthy Hearing Outback program, made possible through a long-standing partnership with PAMS, BHP, Mineral Resources, and Rural Health West’s Outreach Program, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health.
