Dr Sunday Adebiyi says he is worried that the Dysart region is lacking a second medic

“He will drop if he keeps it up”: A fed-up rural community is taking matters into their own hands as they fight for better support for their overworked doctor.

A small Central Queensland mining community has cried out for more health professionals after a two-hour wait became normal at the local GP clinic.

Dysart community members took to Facebook in an effort to help, Dr Sunday Adebiyi, the practitioner who services the medical clinic and hospital, with patients from Dysart, surrounding mining camps and nearby communities.

Some locals said they were fed up with the long wait times, sometimes up to two hours, and others were concerned for Dr Sunday’s health, working from early morning to well past 7pm most days.

Dr Sunday, who has worked at Dysart for about 17 years, said that was the only way he was able to see all his patients and to avoid booking out days in advance.

“What brought the recent waiting times was the influx [of patients] from Clermont,” he said, which occurred during a week the Clermont doctor was away sick.

“When there was no doctor there, we were bombarded with clients.

“We were overwhelmed and have been extremely busy.”

He would have to leave patients at the clinic when called to the hospital and on return, two patients would turn to five or seven.

“It was very intense here during that period,” Dr Sunday said.

Although, he said the ‘normal’ periods weren’t much better and a second pair of hands would make an immense difference.

Member for Burdekin Dale Last has pushed to get Dr Sunday a much-needed break, although community members want a long-term solution.

“I’m pleased Dr Sunday is having a break, he will drop if he keeps it up, but a long term solutions must be found,” one resident said.

Mackay HHS chief executive Lisa Davies Jones said financial provisions had been provided for a second doctor in the mining community.

“Mackay Hospital and Health Service has a contract with Dr Sunday to provide medical services to Dysart Hospital,” she said.

“This contract was awarded following a tender process and includes provision for Dr Sunday to employ the number of doctors required to meet the demand at the hospital and at his private GP practice.”

Although even with the finances available, Dr Sunday said the issue was finding someone who actually wanted to be there after years of advertising.

“We’ve promised to give them a lot of incentives but nothing, no interest,” he said.

“It’s not just the money, it’s the skill and experience that we need, to look after the clinic and emergencies.

“The young ones want work-life balance and this is too much for them. Their partner’s won’t let them work away or they just don’t want to come here.”

He said it was hard enough to get someone to relieve, with Covid restrictions and lockdowns preventing experienced doctors in Sydney and Melbourne from travelling.

“We can’t even get someone to relieve,” he said.

“It’s not only Dysart or Clermont, it’s nationwide.

“It’s something all the rural and remote places have been going through and now it’s only getting worse through restriction in movement.

“I can hardly get any doctors from Queensland, they’re from Sydney or Melbourne, and now they can’t come in which really makes a bad situation worse.”

Dysart community expresses concern over two-hour waiting times at the local medical centre. Photo Contributed

Dr Sunday said even student doctors would help handle expansive rural duties, especially with the introduction of Covid vaccines, although he hadn’t had any allocated since March last year.

“We need another doctor, even if it is a relief that can come two or three days at a time, and that’s part of what of I’m proposing for Dysart and Clermont.”

He said one thing that would make a difference to small regional and rural communities across Australia, would be to adjust the placement process, with graduate doctors having to serve a certain period of time rurally, starting with small communities.

“They are placing people in Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns, Emerald, and by the time they get to us all allocations are gone,” Dr Sunday said.

“We need to fill these areas first, like Dysart, Springsure, Clermont, before we fill places that already have plenty of staff.”

In a bid to spark action to the issues, Mr Last has invited the National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Ruth Stewart on a listening tour throughout the electorate in September, providing an opportunity for residents and community leaders to highlight the issues and deficiencies.

“It has become extremely difficult for rural communities to attract and retain medical practitioners,” he said.

“It is no longer acceptable for residents to put up with substandard health care in our rural and regional communities and what we are seeing in communities like Dysart and Clermont is residents taking a proactive stand in their calls for better health care.

“The reality is if we are looking for people to come and live in the Dysart area then essential services like health care need to be accessible.”