Pormpuraaw's new $35.4 million Primary Health Care Centre has welcomed its first patients, with community members gathering for an open day on October 14.
The event marked completion of the new building and included a blessing and a performance by Pormpuraaw's traditional dance group.
Staff have moved into the centre, which was designed through consultation with Traditional Owners, local staff, council and community members to reflect local healthcare needs and cultural practices.
Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Ralph Kendall Jnr welcomed the investment and the community's involvement in planning the facility.
"We appreciate the significant consultation with our community undertaken by Queensland Health and the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service in the planning for this new facility to ensure community needs are met," Mr Kendall said.
"The local clinic plays a major and, often, lifesaving part in the daily lives of our community and we welcome the ongoing partnership with the health service to ensure vital healthcare continues to be delivered in this modern new and state-of-the-art facility."
The centre on Yalu Street forms part of the Queensland Government's Building Rural and Remote Health Program.
Cairns-based WIP Constructions built the facility on the grounds of the existing health complex, allowing the previous clinic to continue operating until the new building was ready.
The centre includes a resuscitation room, treatment room and a multi-purpose medical imaging room with X-ray and ultrasound facilities.
Six outpatient consultation rooms provide space for current and future demand, including visiting health partners such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
A dental suite, pathology specimen collection room, medical records area and clinical support spaces are also included.
The building has accessible toilets, staff offices, a meeting room, storage rooms, an enclosed ambulance bay and a covered outdoor waiting area.
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Rex O'Rourke highlighted the role of community consultation in shaping the centre.
"Extensive consultation with Traditional Owners, local staff, Council and community members informed the design, ensuring the facility reflects local priorities, cultural practices and community expectations," Mr O'Rourke said.
The redevelopment also includes a culturally appropriate morgue with a viewing room and waiting area, with further work on its mourning precinct continuing as part of the project's second stage.
The mourning and viewing space was developed with Traditional Owners and incorporates a significant local tree, mourning gardens and three separate seating areas.
Mr O'Rourke outlined how the facilities would support families and cultural practices.
"The new morgue facility significantly enhances the previous arrangements, creating a place that supports cultural practices, family connection and community needs with dignity and respect," Mr O'Rourke said.
"The design provides a respectful environment for families and mourners to gather, reflect and pay their respects in a manner that aligns with local cultural expectations."
The project has been divided into two stages to maintain healthcare services while construction and associated works are completed.
The first stage covered completion and commissioning of the new centre, including the morgue, viewing room and waiting area.
Stage two includes cultural landscaping, completion of the morgue mourning precinct, installation of commissioned local artworks, demolition of the former health facility and associated buildings, and completion of car parking and external works.
Those works are expected to be finished in early 2027.
The new health centre has also been built to Australia's Importance Level 4 structural standard, reflecting its role as a health and government facility in an isolated community.
The standard applies to buildings such as hospitals and emergency shelters that must remain operational immediately after a major disaster, with stricter design requirements to support their continued use.
