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COVID-19 - How does it impact your medical care

Please read response from A/Prof Hazratwala at QLLC.

The current COVID-19 (CoronaVirus) outbreak is escalating around the world. The numbers of potentially infected people have increased, and Australia has one of the lowest rates currently. The evidence, however suggests that this is NOT just a regular flu, but something that can potentially flood our hospitals with patients requiring ventilatory support. There are numerous examples now in highly developed countries such as Italy and France where there is a real risk for health and life.

A/Prof Hazratwala has examined all evidence and decided to instigate protocols to protect his past, current and new patients in light of evolving medical and scientific research. 

Please read below our plan to keep our patients, staff and families safe during this time. 

At this time, A/Prof Hazratwala has decided to limit patient traffic through the rooms in Townsville and Brisbane Centres. These below listed measure come into affect as of Wednesday the 18th of March (18/3/2020)                                                       

  1. Our Townsville patients will  attend for their immediate post operative check at the 2-4 week mark post operatively as organised.                        
  2. For Brisbane patients a phone consultation will be conducted and if follow up wound review or further treatment measures are required A/Prof Hazratwala will organise this with neighbouring medical professionals  including your GP.                                              
  3. All patients that have a long term follow up appointment or greater than 6 week joint replacement follow up-  consultation will be conducted either via Teleconference(Skype) or Telephone. You will receive a phone call a day before your appointment to organise this.
  4. If you are above 70 yrs of age and need to see A/Professor Hazratwala we will contact you to organise a Teleconference or a Telephone consultation
  5. If you are below the age of 70 and are in self quarantine we will organise a Teleconference or Telephone consultation 
  6. If you have any flu like symptoms and are due for a consultation please let Alyssa or Robyn know at our front desk in advance so we can organise a Teleconference or Telephone consultation 
  7. We have staggered appointment slots to reduce the number of patients concurrently in the rooms.
  8. If you are unable to receive a phone call, please advise us using the contact instructions below. (e mail, facebook messenger or instagram) 
  9. QLLC staff  will call you close to your allocated time slot to discuss your condition and provide further care. You will NOT need to attend the clinic unless instructed to do so by our staff. 
  10. Currently elective surgery including Hip and Knee replacement and reconstruction has been suspended.
  11. Emergency cases will be preformed as required- including Infection, Fracture and Tumor

Our aim is to keep our patients, their families, staff and ourselves safe during this pandemic. There is no cause for panic, but a measured, and sensible response to decrease the risks to all patients is required. We thankyou for your understanding, and provide more detailed instructions below.. Please revisit this page as we will update this page as the situation evolves around us.