Patients unhappy with blood test waiting times
TEST QUEUES
Mossman’s only pathology collection centre might be finding it a challenge to keep up with testing workloads if reports by some patients are anything to go by.
There are just two pathology collection points in Douglas Shire – one in Mossman, the other in Port Douglas.
A Mossman local required by her doctor to get blood tests said about three weeks ago on a Friday, she was told there would be a two-hour waiting time before she could be tested, with up to 15 people already in the queue when she arrived.
“One woman, from Julatten, had arrived at 5am, after three days of waiting,” Ms Heddles said.
“I couldn't believe the line up. So I gave it a miss. About 8am, I decided to go back down to see if the waiting line had subsided, to no avail. It was packed in the room, and again, a long wait list outside. This is unacceptable.”
Patients who need blood tests at the collection centre come not only from Mossman, but from other areas around the town.
They are aware of another pathology collection centre in Port Douglas but 20 kilometres is a long way away, especially for those who don’t have a car and with no public transport available in the area.
“Yes, there is a blood testing company in Port Douglas however many people, including myself, cannot get to Port Douglas, Ms Heddles said.
“We hear all the time about the local hospital, out of beds, run off their feet in ED, etcetera. However nothing ever about the abhorrent wait time to have a blood test!”
Newsport reached out to QML Pathology for any explanation or comments about the reported waiting times and queues at their Mossman collection room. But after more than a week, neither QML nor its parent company, Healius Pathology, has provided any response to our queries.