PENSIONERS with regular doctors appointments have criticised the location of the new GP Super Clinic, saying it's too far for the elderly and disabled to go for medical care.
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However, Mount Isa GP Super Clinic's management said access to GP consultations and specialist allied health professionals should be the community's top priority at this stage.
The clinic is only 2.5 kilometres away from the CBD and up to 7 kilometres away from the outer suburbs of the city.
One concerned Mount Isa pensioner, who no longer drives, said anyone without access to reliable transport could be out of pocket up to $40 for each visit to the Ryan Road clinic.
``I think you'll see a lot of people just not going to the doctor,'' she said.
``If they have to start paying taxi fares it will come off their food bill or they'll go without power.
``It's going to impact pensioners greatly. It's not just going to be whether we can get to the doctor, that's just the tip of the iceberg.''
The pensioner, who wished to remain anonymous, said even the taxi subsidy available to some disabled and elderly people left travellers out of pocket.
She said the clinic should offer a shuttle service from a central point in the CBD to take people to and from the GP Super Clinic every half hour.
The pensioner also expressed a concern that the lack of transport options could increase the number of people presenting at the Mount Isa Hospital emergency department with non-urgent medical concerns and increase demand for shuttle services offered by other community organisations.
GP Super Clinic manager Matthew Cain said getting to see a GP and having access to allied health specialists was the most pressing issue for Mount Isa and that's what the clinic was trying to address.
``Getting a site large enough to house all of this and provide ample parking and waiting areas is not easy to do,'' he said.
``By providing a much larger facility that can house more GPs and offer locations for visiting specialists to work from can address those needs.
``They need to take the opportunity to see the facility when it opens and realise Mount Isa has been lucky to get a facility like this, especially given the focus on reducing the budget in Australia.''
He said there was no plan at this stage to provide transport for patients but wouldn't rule out anything if it became an issue in the future.
``While we don't have a bus at the moment we will monitor that and take necessary measures if the demand is there and not being met by current services in town,'' he said.
Mr Cain said the clinic was also working with other community organisations to see how services could be delivered on-site at their facilities.
