Queensland Government logo
Mackay Hospital and Health Service
Health ProfessionalsDonate
MHHS Values
  • Home
  • Patients and visitors
    • Having a baby
    • Emergencies
    • Your outpatient appointment
    • Cancel or change your appointment
    • Preparing for your hospital visit
    • Your stay in hospital
      • What to bring to hospital
      • While you are here
    • Visitors
    • Leaving hospital
    • Access your medical records
    • Patient travel assistance
    • Your rights and responsibilities
  • Your Hospitals
    • Mackay Base Hospital
      • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
      • Alcohol & Other Drugs Service (AODS)
      • Allied Health
      • Birth Centre
      • Bowel Cancer Screen
      • BreastScreen
      • Cancer Services
      • Cardiac Services
      • Child, Youth and Family Health
      • Dental Health
      • Dietetics
      • Hospital in the Home
      • Intensive Care
      • Mental Health
      • Medical Imaging
      • Medical Services
      • Occupational Therapy
      • Paediatrics
      • Pathology
      • Palliative Care
      • Pharmacy
      • Physiotherapy
      • Podiatry
      • Psychology
      • Mackay Public Health Unit
      • Renal Services
      • Sexual Health & Assault Service
      • Short Stay Unit
      • Social Work
      • Special Care Nursery
      • Speech Pathology
      • Surgical Services
      • Women’s Health
    • Bowen Hospital
    • Clermont Hospital
    • Collinsville Hospital
    • Dysart Hospital
    • Glenden Primary Health Care Centre
    • Mackay Community Health
    • Middlemount Community Health
    • Moranbah Hospital
    • Proserpine Hospital
    • Sarina Hospital
    • Whitsunday Community Health
  • Work for us
    • The joy of living here
    • Current opportunities and how to apply
    • International candidates
  • About us
    • Living our values
    • Strategies
    • Leadership
      • Our structure
      • Hospital and Health Board
      • Committees
      • Executive Team
    • Publications
    • Our performance
    • Access to information
      • Publication scheme
      • Right to Information
      • Public Interest Disclosure
      • Disclosure Log
    • Access your medical records
  • Get involved
    • Maternity Co-Design Project
    • Partnering with consumers
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
  • Newsroom
  • Contact us
    • Your feedback
  • Research
Home > Newsroom > Search for Clermont and Isaac doctors goes national

Search for Clermont and Isaac doctors goes national

A national campaign is underway to recruit doctors for Clermont and the Isaac region.

The newly created position of Director Medical Services Clermont and Hinterland has been advertised for two weeks with another two to go.

Mackay Hospital and Health Service A/Chief Medical Officer Dr David Farlow said positions for additional part time Senior Medical Officers were also advertised.

Their roles are part of a strategy to employ specialist doctors called Rural Generalists across the Isaac region.

While the health service has undertaken multiple previous recruitment campaigns for doctors under the Medical Officer Right of Private Practice model, the medical positions have been modified in line with recent feedback.

“These part-time appointments mean they could also work in private practice if they wanted to, or they might want to work in another hospital. For many doctors this is an attractive combination,” Dr Farlow said.

“Recruiting to part time positions will help share the load of on-call and weekend work.”

The positions are advertised with the Medical Journal of Australia, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

“We’re also putting the spotlight on these positions at the annual Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ) conference this weekend and hope to generate some interest there,” he said.

Dr Farlow said the health service had been in negotiations with a potential candidate for the Director Medical Services who has chosen not to apply.

He said this had not deterred the health service from pushing forward with recruitment.

“If this latest recruitment push isn’t successful we will go back to the drawing board and see what else can be done,” he said.

Dr Farlow said there had been some inaccurate public criticism of the health service for allegedly failing to offer contracts to five interested doctors.

“This is untrue. I can’t discuss individual doctors without breaching their privacy, however I can say if a suitably qualified doctor applies for a position at the MPHS they will be successful.

“The community expects us to employ doctors with enough experience to work safely and who are prepared to do on-call work for when they are needed in an emergency.

“Not every doctor who works in Clermont or has visited Clermont has had either the interest or experience to do this.”

Dr Farlow said the health service would continue to employ locum doctors to care for emergency presentations, hospital patients and aged care residents to ensure they get the care they need.

Last updated June 1, 2022

Print
Connect with us:
MHHS FacebookMHHS TwitterMHHS YoutubeMHHS Linkedin

Copyright © 2023 Mackay Hospital and Health Service
Queensland Government