What’s Happening?
A mobile skin check clinic visited Rockhampton last week, bringing advanced skin cancer screening to CQUniversity Rockhampton North.
The clinic, run by the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation together with Westfund Health Insurance, operated from 30 June to 3 July.
It was set up on Yaamba Road at Norman Gardens, in the gym parking area closest to the Bruce Highway.
This year’s Rockhampton visit was only available to Westfund members, and every appointment was booked. Local members were notified before the visit and given the chance to book online.
Why It Matters
For many people in regional and rural communities, getting a specialist skin check can mean long waits, long drives, or both.
That can make early detection harder, even in areas where skin cancer risk is higher.
The Rockhampton visit helped reduce that gap by bringing screening closer to local members. It also gave them access to the VECTRA WB360 system, a world-first total body imaging technology.
Westfund donated the system for the newest mobile clinic in the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation fleet.
Local Impact
The Rockhampton clinic booked out within an hour, showing clear local demand for skin cancer screening closer to home.
Liz Casmiri, Westfund’s Chief Health Care Services Officer, said the response from Rockhampton members was significant.
“We’re thrilled by the incredible response from the Rockhampton community, with all Westfund member bookings filling within an hour,” Ms Casmiri said.
“This underscores the critical importance of initiatives like the Mobile Skin Check Clinic, which, through our partnership with the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation, delivers world-class early detection technology directly to regional communities.
“At Westfund, we believe where you live shouldn’t determine your health outcomes. By funding this initiative and donating the VECTRA WB360 technology, we’re making early detection more accessible and helping to save lives in regional communities.”
By The Numbers
The figures show why skin checks remain a major health issue, especially across regional Australia.
- Skin cancer rates are up to 35% higher in regional and remote Australia, where access to screening can be limited.
- Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and claims the life of one Australian every six hours.
- More than two in three Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. Queensland also records more than 37,000 hospital episodes of care for skin cancer each year.
Zoom In
The VECTRA WB360 system captures a full-body 3D scan in under five minutes using 96 cameras.
It also uses AI-supported analysis to help detect changes and possible signs of skin cancer.
The mobile clinic truck began travelling in December last year and is set to visit regional and rural communities beyond 2027.
Westfund said its long-term aim is to make the service available to all regional and remote Australians. For now, this year’s Rockhampton stop was limited to Westfund members.
Zoom Out
The Rockhampton visit formed part of a wider push to improve early detection outside major cities.
After strong demand in previous locations, Westfund made changes to its New South Wales and Queensland tour. Visits were extended to four days at each location, with staffing adjusted to support more checks each day.
The goal is to complete more than 40 checks daily.
So far, more than 800 Westfund members have received a skin check through the mobile clinic. More than 220 have had a possible skin cancer detected, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma.
Jay Allen OAM, CEO and Founder of the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation, said the service was focused on reaching communities where access can be harder.
“Skin cancer doesn’t discriminate by postcode, and neither should life-saving healthcare. Through our partnership with Westfund, we’re bringing free skin checks directly to regional communities where early detection can mean the difference between life and death.”
What To Look For Next?
The mobile skin check clinic is set to keep travelling across regional and rural Australia beyond 2027.
Westfund’s broader aim is to make the service available to more regional and remote Australians in the future.
In Rockhampton, the booked-out visit may point to continued demand for early detection services closer to home.
