A clinic that will boost healthcare accessibility and improve outcomes for regional cancer patients has opened on the Sunshine Coast.
Qscan Radiology Clinics has opened its first clinic in the region and will provide a range of services including x-ray, ultrasound, CT, PET-CT, interventional procedures and WorkCover appointments.
The Maroochydore clinic offers one of only four PET-CT services in the area, with patients set to benefit from reduced wait times and expert reporting from subspecialist radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists.
Qscan Group CEO Dr Gary Shepherd said Qscan was proud to be expanding into the region, with the Sunshine Coast clinic becoming the group’s 13th PET-CT location in Australia.
“We’re committed to providing accessible, high-quality medical imaging services for all patients and referrers, and this is a big step forward for this growing region,” he said.
“Cancer is an incredible diagnosis, it’s challenging for the individual and also for their families – you have to take time off work, other family members often have to take time off work to help support you during their journey.
“Everything we can do to keep people in their local region rather than going to a hub such as Brisbane really helps the community, so for instance they don’t have to take time off work, they don’t have to take their kids out of school.
“To be able to do these things locally is really important for a community.”
Dr Shepherd said the new clinic would create new jobs for the region, while also supporting local referring practitioners and specialists.
“It’s hard to recruit to the regions and there is an increasing population on the Sunshine Coast but often training is done at Brisbane, particularly in specialty areas,” he said.
“To get people to leave those locations, to get people to come back to where they grew up or where they would like to live, requires the support of a local facility like this, which allows them to use their skills locally.
“We have some great specialists up on the Sunshine Coast, so people who are highly trained, and having a state-of-the-art facility such as this one, supports how they can deliver health care and allows them to have careers locally.”
The clinic will be supported by local, dual-trained radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists Dr Michael Kreltszheim and Dr John Blazak.
Dr Blazak, who is also clinical director of nuclear medicine at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, said PET scans could help facilitate early and accurate detection of most cancers.
“With more than 4000 new cancer diagnoses on the Sunshine Coast annually, the community will significantly benefit from a new PET-CT service,” he said.
“This new clinic will improve outcomes for local patients and their families, providing faster access to appointments, allowing for earlier detection and expedited treatment.
“We are looking forward to providing premium oncology and medical imaging services to patients on the Sunshine Coast and surrounding regions.”
Qscan Maroochydore is on Wises Road.
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