Mer Island to be given health upgrade

Torres Strait's Mer Island will receive $30,000 worth of new health equipment.

The island's Primary Health Care Centre offers residents a 24-hour on-call nurse, visiting doctor services and indigenous health workers.

But the closest hospital to Mer (Murray) Island, which sits between the Queensland Cape and Papua New Guinea, is 225km away.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland Health allocated the funding after she visited the centre during a three-day visit in July and promised upgraded health equipment.

"Anyone who has travelled to the Torres Strait knows the depth of the health challenges the local people face," Ms Palaszczuk told parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

The money will help fund a new pharmacy fridge for vaccines, blood pressure monitoring equipment, new lighting for clinical procedures, and equipment to help diagnose ear infections.

Mer Island is home to the grave of indigenous land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo, which Ms Palaszczuk also visited during her trip.

"Both the people and the location make it one of the most beautiful places in the world," she said.