Cairns radiology closure highlights workforce crisis

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Nick Yim, ABC Radio Brisbane, Afternoons with Kat Feeney, Tuesday 21 January 2025

Subjects: Radiology closure in Cairns

KAT FEENEY: I want to focus your mind on Queensland, on Far-Northern Queensland. When it comes to stressful life experiences, waiting to find out if you have cancer is up there, isn't it? Last November, one of Cairns’ two radiology clinics temporarily closed. The doors are still shut, and this leaves I-MED Radiology, which is open two days a week, the sole breast cancer screening service available to patients from Cairns to Cape York. That is a vast geographical area. For more, we're joined by Dr Nick Yim who's the President of the Australian Medical Association of Queensland. Nick, g'day. Why the closure? Why did Queensland X-Ray Cairns close last year?

DR NICK YIM: Good afternoon, Kat. I think this is one of the symptoms of what we're experiencing across Queensland and across the country of workforce shortages. It's something where many organisations, both public and private, we're not immune to the symptom of a lack of staffing, and that's accentuated in regional Queensland. Unfortunately, if we don't have staffing to do the x-rays or report on x-rays, it's very hard to keep it open for the public.

KAT FEENEY: Is this a statewide issue, this radiologist shortage?

DR NICK YIM: It's not just a statewide issue. It's actually a health workforce shortage across the whole world, and particularly in some specialities, and radiology is one of them. Unfortunately, it's something where in regional and rural Queensland, we are feeling more of the brunt. As you've alluded to at the introduction, this is the time when people in the community, they do attest it can be very stressful if they have to wait weeks or even travel out of their own town to get an x-ray or imaging.

KAT FEENEY: So as I understand it, the Cairns Hospital is balancing the demand on its services, and there are occasions where patients have to go to a private clinic where a mammogram costs $600. This is common. This is what you're saying – this is common across regional Queensland. Is it good enough Nick?

DR NICK YIM: That's a great question, and this is where AMA Queensland, we are working with Queensland Health and the government to look at strategies. Because as you mentioned, it is something that's coming up regularly where patients, doctors, there are frustrations of getting access to diagnostic imaging, and this potentially can delay treatments for that individual.

KAT FEENEY: I think the point is, as well, that mammograms are free for people over the age of 40. So it's recognised as a very essential test to have done.

DR NICK YIM: You're spot on. There's two different types. So the screening mammogram is for people without symptoms. But the thing that we're looking for is the diagnostic mammogram, the diagnostic ultrasound where people might have a breast lump and we need to know what it is, and we want to do that in a timely fashion.

KAT FEENEY: So as you said, you're working with the state government. I mean, we're aware of this issue, the government's been in place now for a little bit of time. The health sector is obviously a vast sector, but Dr Nick Yim, when might patients in Far-North Queensland and in regional Queensland expect some improvement to services?

DR NICK YIM: We do need to work on it, it's looking at different models of care. So for example, areas such as the regions, we might need to look at public-private agreements to look at strategies to ensure that people in the regions can access timely investigation and timely treatment.

KAT FEENEY: Okay, and what happens if this doesn't happen, Nick?

DR NICK YIM: I think this is one of those things that needs to happen. We need to work on strategies to recruit, retain and train those doctors and the health workforce. It's not just the doctors, it's also the radiographers that look at the work in radiology as well, and also administration's team.

KAT FEENEY: And just finally, as the President of AMA Queensland, you will have had feedback from members, from doctors, radiologists, nurses, people working in this sector, in the regions. What are they telling you?

DR NICK YIM: I think the biggest thing is, everyone's under the pump. Whether you're working in the public sector, the private sector, we are feeling the brunt of the workforce challenges. But we've got to make it work. We've got to work out strategies to ensure that we are caring for our community and caring for our state.

KAT FEENEY: Dr Nick Yim, thank you. We'll be keeping an eye on this one as the year progresses.

Contact: AMA Queensland Media, +61 419 735 641, media@amaq.com.au