Cancer clinic expands
Skin centre move allows greater service Cardwell upgrade funding approved
THE only bulk-billing skin care clinic in Cairns has undergone a $1 million expansion.
FNQH Surgery Centre, at DFO Cairns, has shifted location within the shopping centre to accommodate more patients and more staff.
The clinic currently has more than 42,000 patients on its books, from as far and wide as Weipa and Ravenshoe.
It says it is the only one in the city to offer full bulk-billing of skin checks, biopsies, skin cancer surgery and all followup care.
The expanded clinic, near Coles supermarket, will allow the clinic to increase its patient base, with a view to alleviating waiting times at Cairns Hospital.
Clinic medical director Dr Vin Rajeswaran said he and his 40 staff had simply run out of space at their former location.
“It means more doctors for us, with three more starting between the end of March and the end of May,” he said. “That will bring us to almost 10 fulltime doctors working every day, seven days a week.”
The clinic has also become the national training centre for Sun Doctors: a corporate group of about 40 clinics across Australia.
Dr Rajeswaran said he and wife Tarlia, who also operates the clinic, aimed to make skin care services as affordable as possible for Far North Queenslanders.
“My passion is skin cancer and we try to make it affordable,” he said.
“That’s why we get patients driving down from Karumba, because they can’t afford to pay for it at other places.”
Cairns and the surrounding region has an increased risk of skin cancer greater than the national average by 62 per cent, according to the National Cancer Atlas.
“We’re still finding, on average, almost one melanoma each working day,” Dr Rajeswaran said. “I had eight in four weeks that I found and that was just me.
“Last year, we found almost 130 melanomas and that was just this clinic.
“We also have a clinic in Innisfail and we haven’t tallied those yet.”
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CARDWELL is one step closer to seeing its vision of a revitalised hub for tourists and locals with the State Government approving funds toward the first stage of the Balliol St upgrade.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council had its application to the Transport and Tourism Connections Program Round 2 for $145,000 approved, which – with the council’s matched funding – gives the green light to deliver the $290,000 first stage of the upgrade.
The initial funding application to begin road works was submitted in 2018 after extensive consultation with the community to develop a detailed design, with the upgrade to be delivered in two stages, the first being road works to lay the foundation for the second stage of embellishments.
It’s expected the overall project will attract tourists and deliver a new, flexible, multi-use open space including a lawn area, plaza space, mini stage, mini amphitheatre, playground and pedestrian linkages.
The council is hoping to begin works in the third quarter of this year, with a threemonth construction period.
Division 1 Councillor Glenn Raleigh said the outcome of the funding application had been a long time coming.
“We thank the local community for their patience and look forward to working together to continue seeing through our vision for Cardwell’s future,” he said.