Pathway to better treatment

Nov. 27, 2012, 4 a.m.

A DIAGNOSIS of multiple sclerosis took Dubbo's Joy Butcher back to the days when she drove to and from Sydney regularly to get treatment for a son with cerebral palsy.

The 53-year-old mother would dream of winning Lotto to pay for accommodation in Sydney for country people in her situation.

It never happened, but Mrs Butcher cannot help but feel lucky right now.

Her pathway to specialist treatment is much easier thanks to a collaboration involving the University of Sydney's School of Rural Health at Dubbo.

Recently she made the 10-minute drive from her home to the school in Moran Drive for an hour's consultation with Dr Michael Barnett, leading multiple sclerosis (MS) neurologist and researcher at the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI).

He reviewed her test results, answered questions and observed her movement, all from a dedicated telemedicine room at the BMRI, more than 400 kilometres away.

Mrs Butcher could not be happier that necessary medical attention has come to her by way of teleconference audiovisual technology.

"It's so much better and not just for people in Dubbo," she said.

"We think it's hard to go to Sydney but think of the people travelling from further out in the region."

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Pathway to better treatment