Heart van trucking on

A VITAL rural health service targeting heart problems in regional areas will keep on trucking with a $1 million grant.

The 25m long “Heart of Australia” truck, launched by Brisbane cardiologist Dr Rolf Gomes, offers cardiac diagnosis and treatment in regional Australia and has seen more than 3300 patients in 850 towns since 2014.

Dr Gomes said people living in rural communities were 44 per cent more likely to die of heart disease, but a $1 million grant from the Federal Government would allow them to expand their services and see more patients.