Local engineer to play major role

A Darnum-based engineer has been co-opted to play a major role in Australia’s fight against the coronavirus.

Forty-four-year-old specialist engineer Jason Vandyk was tapped on the shoulder in March after the Chief Medical Officer highlighted the urgent need for more local production of face masks for health industry workers.

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science that was charged with the task recruited

The opening last December of a new short stay unit at the West Gippsland Hospital at Warragul has already demonstrated its importance to the community.

West Gippsland Healthcare Group chief executive Dan Weeks said more than 1000 patients had already been accommodated in the unit as demand for the hospital’s services continued its upward growth.

Figures released by Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing showed that the number of patients discharged from the hospital in the January-March quarter was 4364, a rise of almost 800 on the same period a year earlier.

Emergency department presentations jumped about 10 per cent to more than 6600 for the quarter.

Mr Weeks said the major impacts at the hospital of the COVID-19 outbreak, such as rezoning wards and closing the cafeteria as well as restrictions on visitors to the hospital and the Cooinda and Andrews House aged care facilities, did not really start until late March.

The well-being of patients, staff and the community continues to be the priority in all decision making and public understanding and patience greatly was appreciated, he said.

With the changing external circumstances and the threats from coronavirus possibly remaining for some time plans are continually being reviewed and refined.

Mr Weeks said the number of surgeries was increasing and the hospital was preparing for when it is able to again offer its full surgical services.

The opportunity had also been taken to test new ways of service delivery including expanding telehealth and phone screening.

Mr Weeks said a major factor in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been the establishment in Warragul by Central Clinic medical service of the first of the Commonwealth acute respiratory clinics.

WGHG has worked closely with both the clinic and Gippsland Primary Health Network in providing up to current capacity of 96 tests per day.

The availability of the clinic to people with symptoms or needing to see a doctor but not requiring Emergency Department treatment was a great service for the community and eased pressure at the ED, Mr Weeks added. Mr Vandyk to advise on fabrication of the mask manufacturing machines.

He had built and maintained those types of machines as a young fitter and turner and was one of the last to have done so.

First stop for Mr Vandyk was Shepparton’s Med Con company that is the only manufacturer of level three masks in Australia.

Since then he has been clocking up the kilometres between his home at Darnum and not only Shepparton but also Echuca and the Army base at Bandiana in the Albury-Wodonga area.

Mr Vandyk was a key contributor along with the Australian Defence personnel in the development of new design drawings for the machines.

At the Echuca factory of Foodmach it has been “24/7” designing and bringing into production extra machines for Med Con to boost Australia’s face mask production by 2500 per cent.

Mr Vandyk said the Med Con factory at Shepparton was quickly modified to provide space for the extra capacity needed and the first of seven new machines being developed at Foodmach was commissioned last week.

Everyone involved at Med Cob, Foodmach and the ADF have grabbed the challenge in both hands, he said.

Some 725 parts make up the machines that Mr Vandyk describes as “typical Aussie engineering, designed to go forever”.

Mr Vandyk grew up in Drouin and after completing studies at Churchill worked in a number of areas, especially at Shepparton.

He established and operated his own business in Warragul about 12 years ago before a move last year to Darnum.