Mission Beach general practice Tristar Medical closes
With one clinic among 8000 residents, a panic has set in among patients as they prepare to farewell another practice and a number of doctors.
Cairns
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A PANIC has set in among medical patients as a rural area prepares to farewell another practice and a number of doctors.
The Tristar Medical centre at Mission Beach which has been operating with just one doctor has closed the doors to it clinic and will end its telehealth service on January 14.
Staff from the Mission Beach practice were unavailable for comment, and Tristar Medical Group’s head office was contacted for comment, but it is understood the clinic closed due to the retirement of the sole practitioner.
The closure leaves a population of about 8000 (between Mission Beach and Tully), the option to wait from four to nine weeks for an appointment at the Tully Medical Centre, or drive over an hour to visit doctors at Innisfail or Cairns.
A Tully Medical Centre spokeswoman said since Tristar’s announcement, the private clinic’s phones had been “flat out”.
“We’re getting hundreds of calls. I think there is a bit of panic setting in,” she said.
“Our waiting times are crazy, we try our best, but we were struggling before Tristar closed.
“At the moment our books are open, we’ll keep taking patients in. But to maintain a quality of care, we will at some stage have to close our books.”
The Tully Medical Centre in January will farewell three doctors, offset by taking in two new practitioners, for a total of five GPs.
Cassowary Coast residents have labelled the healthcare situation as “sad” and “terrible”.
“Disgraceful to the elderly folk in Mission Beach – what is being about it,” Margaret Martin asked on social media.
“Very sad situation,” Michaelle Kerr said
Another resident had a grim warning.
“Terrible, don’t get sick in Tully,” Jan Darling said.
It comes after five Far Northern medical services which have closed in the last 12 months were revealed in November.
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Originally published as Mission Beach general practice Tristar Medical closes
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