Family First and the Mudgee Hospital Auxiliary raised the much-needed funds to purchase a bronchoscope.

The high-tech equipment allows doctors to examine airways by threading the flexible fibre-optic material through the nose or mouth and down the throat to reach the lungs. The camera and light allow for a better view of the respiratory system on a digital screen.

Nursing unit theatre manager Trish Kempton described the equipment as a “fantastic diagnostic tool for our patients”.

“It’s also a very supportive teaching tool for our medical students and learning doctors,” she said.

“But most of all it has wonderful patient benefits.”