Waiheke Health Trust Purchases Lifesaving Equipment with Rotary Funding

The Waiheke Health Trust has recently acquired two new Dermatoscopes for the doctors at Ostend Medical Centre, made possible by the incredible generosity of our community bidding at the 2025 Rotary Art Auction.

Held in association with Bayleys Waiheke, the "I am an island" collection of works by local artist Sandie O’Brien raised significant funds for community initiatives.

A key beneficiary was the Waiheke Health Trust, which receives no government funding for its equipment and relies entirely on community support.

The state-of-the-art Dermatoscopes are a game-changer for skin health on Waiheke. Using polarised light, they allow clinicians to see deep into the skin, providing an advanced method for diagnosing various skin conditions. In a country with one of the world's highest rates of skin cancer, this is truly lifesaving.

The new equipment will allow our local doctors to detect skin cancers at an earlier stage while also reducing the need for unnecessary biopsies.

Furthermore, the Rotary Art Auction funding enabled the purchase of connectors that attach the devices to smartphones. This innovative feature provides a larger view of lesions, allows for digital recording in patient files, and facilitates seamless sharing of images with specialists.

This purchase is particularly timely, as it complements the expertise of Dr. Dawn Davis in biopsies and minor surgery. By pairing her skills with this advanced technology, the Ostend Medical Centre is better equipped than ever to provide exceptional care to our community.

A huge thank you to artist Sandie O'Brien and Bayleys Waiheke for their ongoing and generous support of the event.

And a shout out to those that donated their services, product and time to make it happen - Reflections, The Food Mechanix, The Amies family, the Maris family, Baz Fenton, Marcus MacKenzie, The Courtyard Restaurant and Paulie Rhind.

This is a powerful example of how community fundraising directly translates into life-changing and lifesaving resources for our island.