Rebecca Knewstubb and her family relocated from the Gold Coast to Yeppoon, hoping for a more peaceful life but found themselves dealing with the worsening health of their daughter, Annabelle, who has epilepsy. Annabelle's seizures increased after their move, leading to frequent hospital visits and a lack of access to the medical care she needed due to the absence of a nearby children's hospital.
The Knewstubbs struggled to find timely care for Annabelle, with long waiting periods to see specialists in the public health system, impacting Annabelle's ability to lead a normal teenage life. Despite researching available services before moving, they found a significant gap in neurologist services in regional areas like Yeppoon, underlining the challenges faced by families seeking specialized healthcare outside major cities.
With regional areas like Mackay and Yeppoon experiencing population growth, healthcare professionals like Dr. Elissa Hatherley emphasized the lack of specialist services in these regions. Dr. Hatherley highlighted the reliance on clinicians from other areas, leading to appointment cancellations and a need for word-of-mouth recommendations to secure appointments with local GPs. Suggestions were made for new residents to set up telehealth consults with specialized doctors via their GP to overcome the shortage of medical specialists in regional areas.
Barry and Karen Johns' experience in Busselton, Western Australia, echoed the challenges of accessing specialized care in regional areas, particularly for rare conditions like functional neurological disorder (FND). Despite struggling to find a neurologist since their long-term specialist retired, they managed to connect with a good GP and physiotherapist through community networks like Facebook. The Johns encouraged others facing similar healthcare challenges when moving regionally to persist in advocating for better medical services to support individuals with complex health needs.