Smoke clinic seeing respiratory patients in ‘days not months’
Consultations costs are capped at $70, no matter what the duration, says Professor Alvin Ing
Respiratory doctors at a specialist bushfire smoke clinic in Sydney have been treating patients within days of referral, by taking them off months-long waiting lists for general respiratory appointments.
The Breathe Easy clinic opened at Macquarie University on 20 January, offering rapid-access appointments with respiratory physicians for patients with asthma or COPD exacerbated by the smoke haze.
They’ve seen 12 patients so far, who would otherwise have been “lost in the noise” of general waiting lists, says the clinic’s head, Professor Alvin Ing.
“We offer an initial consultation, and if required, the full range of lung function tests, exercise testing or bronchoscopy,” he says.
