Queensland GP chain DoctorLink goes bust, owes creditors millions

A group of medical companies have collapsed into administration owing millions of dollars to creditors, with some GP clinics shut down and others sold off.

A chain of medical clinics across Queensland have collapsed into administration.

A group of medical companies across Queensland have collapsed into administration owing millions of dollars to creditors.

Several entities under the popular GP brand DoctorLink entered administration late last month, a notice lodged with the corporate regulator reveals.

Over 10 medical centres were run by the group across Queensland, including in Gumdale, Sunnybank Hills, Albany Creek, Bundaberg West, Brighton, Cooroy, Maroochydore, Stafford and Geebung.

It appears the clinics are now owned by Australian-wide medical group Family Doctor.

The Family Doctor website now lists the Brighton clinic as “permanently closed’.

Several entities under the popular GP brand DoctorLink entered administration late last month. Picture: Google

The notice lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission also lists clinics Healthy Women Medical Centre Indooroopilly, Imbil Family Medical and Doctors on Brunswick in Fortitude Valley as in administration, which have since shut down.

Insolvency experts Bill Karageozis and Jonathan McLeod of Mcleods Accounting, who were appointed joint administrators on May 29, told News Corp that there were six unrelated creditors owed about $2.7m.

The business assets of the group of companies were sold in August 2024 to an unrelated third-party purchaser, Mr McLeod said.

A report submitted by director Joseph Barbagallo for the company DL Aspley, which was formerly known as Doctorlink Holdings, revealed a complex web of interrelated party loans between the various medical clinics.

Mr Barbagallo said over $14.5m was owed to the company from loans from the clinics of which $0 was estimated as realisable.

This included $8.6m from the Brighton clinic, $1.4m from the Stafford Heights clinic and $2.6m from related entity Clinical Funding.

Doctorlink Holdings was listed as owing $231,273 to the Australian Tax Office and $17,776 to the Queensland Revenue Office.

Family Doctor website. Picture: Family Doctor

Family Doctor was also listed as a creditor owed over $180,000, and over $8.8m is owed to related creditors, mostly made up of medical clinics under the group.

Mr Barbagallo declared over $400,000 in assets in the form of cash at the bank held by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Mr McLeod said a deal to creditors – known as a deed of company arrangement (DOCA) – will be proposed and considered by creditors at their second meeting next week.

“The directors are proposing a DOCA to provide a better return to creditors in a DOCA than under a liquidation scenario,” he said.

The DoctorLink website lists Mr Barbagallo as its founding director, who has a “deep and long history in the healthcare sector”.

“He started his career in the pharmaceutical industry, moving into pathology and then into corporate medical services,” it reads.

“This is where he saw the need to change the focus from corporate to a patient-centred environment.

“Joe wanted to open medical centres that genuinely cared for patients and ensured the focus was on preventative medicine.”

DoctorLink was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Queensland GP chain DoctorLink goes bust, owes creditors millions