SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR UNI HOSPITAL
WHEN Eduardo Diniz needed open-heart surgery two years ago, Cairns Hospital wasn’t equipped for the task.
But he’s back in town serving meals to doctors while backing a campaign to get the facilities and support they need.
Mr Diniz, 62, is no stranger to going under the knife after a couple of major operations in his time.
More than 2½ years ago, he needed a valve replacement in his heart, which signalled an end to his full-time career in hospitality.
The facilities necessary for his open-heart operation were not available at Cairns Hospital so he was transferred to Townsville Hospital.
“Being sent to Townsville meant I was away from family and friends, which I needed the support of,” he said.
“I had to go through it all on my own, though luckily the doctors and nurses there were very kind.”
The experience encouraged Mr Diniz to turn his years of hospitality experience towards helping out hospital staff and patients and he began volunteering with the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation.
“As a volunteer I work at the D Block Cafe at Cairns Hospital. It’s pretty much the only thing I could do,” he said.
“I’ve been volunteering for nearly two years now. I love that through volunteering I can still work full-time in my old industry.
“We get a lot of health workers as regulars and, when they are on their break, they need to be served fast, served good food, and see a smile because they don’t always see it up on the wards.”
The Cairns Post is running a campaign for a Cairns university hospital to improve access to high-level medical service in the Far North. A public petition, for Queensland residents, has received more than 1000 signatures in five days.
Cairns Post editor Jennifer Spilsbury thanked the community for their support.
“The hospital project is important to the physical, mental and economic health of our region and the community is saying it wants it,” she said.
“We can always say something is too hard or we can just get on with finding a solution.”
Mr Diniz said he supported anything that would make life easier for patients and medical practitioners in Cairns.
“Let’s face it, we have nearly as many people as Townsville and nowhere near the facilities that they have,” he said.