Gold Coast doctors say they're battling a new COVID crisis caused by the population boom in Queensland.
GP Dr Tanya Unni says the influx of families to the Sunshine State during the pandemic is putting increased pressure on busy medical clinics.
Dr Unni runs eight practices on the Gold Coast and says she's had a 20 per cent increase in the number of patients.
"Definitely there’s been a surge.
"As a result yes there is a bit of a burden on the medical facilities, we are stretched.”
'Nearly impossible' to find new doctors
Dr Unni said her staff were trying to prioritise the most needy patients, including children and people with chronic diseases.
But she has had to set up a new call centre to deal with the huge volume of calls to her clinics.
She said some patients had been forced to travel outside their own area.
"There is definitely an increase in workload," she said
"Anyone who calls, we are able to do a primary triage.
“The capacity of recruiting more doctors is nearly impossible.”
Cancer patients' two-hour commute
Member for Coomera Michael Crandon says the population of Pimpama has been increasing by 20-30 per cent per annum year on year since 2015.
"We went from nine schools to 22 schools on the northern Gold coast between 2009 and 2021," Mr Crandon said.
The MP is part of a new forum of community leaders, including the CEO of the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation, local doctors and school principals who have met to address the crisis.
“The bigger issue is the ancillary services, being able to go and have scans done and those sorts of things done in a timely fashion," he said
“The transport services [for cancer patients] can take a two-hour round trip, just to pick someone up from the northern Gold Coast and get them to their appointments."
The Palaszczuk government promised a new Coomera Hospital during the last state election campaign.
But Mr Crandon says the community is desperate for immediate solutions, including smaller dedicated health precincts in Ormeau and Pimpama.
"So the hub at this stage might be the Gold Coast University Hospital but we need a spoke system.
"Rather than people having to transfer to GCUH as a result of an ambulance arrival, they go to the spoke first and they’re assessed there.
“In the short-term I think what we’re going to have to do is see what the private sector can deliver.
“There has been no funding announced for a hospital to be built.
"We’re talking mega dollars and we’re talking six to10 years away before construction would even start.”
Doctors books are full
The Managing Director of Medical on Miami, Heather McLellan-Johnson, is urging interstate patients to research medical practices before they relocate.
Ms McLellan-Johnson said new arrivals should try to make appointments well in advance.
"We're seeing many, many new patients every single week," Ms McLellan-Johnson said.
"Having said that there's always extra miles that doctors will go, for example a child, they won't turn away a child.
"The waiting list is pretty long, however we are trying to get through them as quickly as possible."
