00:02Marie Cherry is living with incurable breast cancer and soon there might not be a doctor in town to treat
00:09her.
00:10You do live in fear that the time when you really need one there's not going to be one here.
00:14The 82 year old has been based in Maurer in central Queensland for more than 50 years.
00:20She says moving away isn't an option.
00:23The facilities that I expected when I got old just aren't there. So I feel a little bit betrayed.
00:30A sole GP has been servicing both the medical centre and hospital with support from occasional locums.
00:37But now he's decided to leave.
00:39Certainly if you're in a town of that size as the only doctor in town for 2,000 people it's
00:44very busy.
00:45Health advocates say they've been warning the state government for months the workload was unsustainable with no results.
00:52We've raised our voice and we've said what was wrong and there's been no support.
00:58Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service says recruitment for medical officer positions is ongoing and that it remains committed to
01:07engaging with the Maurer community.
01:09The town is one of many that has long faced issues with medical workforce shortages.
01:14It's always been I suppose an ongoing issue in rural areas and not just in Queensland.
01:23In neighbouring Theodore the medical clinic has had more success retaining its workers by focusing on attracting medical students.
01:31It's good that they can come out to these rural communities and see their expanded scope of practice and they
01:35can see a potential career.
01:37Finding the right medicine for this small mining town.
01:41We're part of our community that they can see, but it doesn't change very well.
01:41We're going to hook our fingers back in bulk.
01:41Let's go.
01:41We're talking to people now check out the market.
01:41So we've some ran of outcomes.
01:42I miedoing patients provide Dansential smoother research and supplies business use.
01:42And help us to make sure that we're after seeking everything else.
01:42Youлюс allow our lives issues with complex filho small homeland.
