RDAQ will have health checks at Beef 2021

With this understanding and commitment to improving rural health, Dr Halliday will be part of a medical team offering free health checks to rural people as part of the Royal Doctors Association of Queensland Foundation from their stand at Beef Australia 2021.

Dr Halliday is the Medical Superintendent at Stanthorpe Hospital, as well as RDAQ Foundation chair.

Put simply, early knowledge means better patient outcomes, he says.

This is the third time RDAQ Foundation have offered health checks as part of Beef.

Again, RDAQ Foundation will team up with medical students from the University of Queensland and James Cook University to provide health screening to assess people's risk of diabetes and chronic disease and offer lifestyle advice.

"We first offered health checks at Beef in 2015 and again in 2018 and found it was an invaluable way to encourage people to see their GP, while promoting healthy lifestyles and improving our understanding of the obstacles to better health in regional, rural and remote areas," Dr Halliday said.

"The health checks provided important insights into rural health. In 2018, the median age of participants in the health checks was 55-64 years old.

"A significant proportion of those attending the free health clinic in 2018 had not seen a doctor for five years. This demonstrates the value of providing this service at an event like Beef.

"The health check initiative also provides opportunities for young medical students to get involved in rural health care and develop an understanding of the needs and challenges of rural communities and to learn from rural doctors."