A backlog of more than 54,000 radiology images at the Gold Coast University Hospital will take up to three months to clear, forcing the hospital to outsource them to the private sector following a heated emergency meeting.
Gold Coast Health chief executive Ron Calvert blamed a mass exodus of radiologists and an explosion in demand for medical imaging for the backlog.
Mr Calvert said a July 2021 change to the National Health Reform Agreement caused a "six figure" pay decrease for radiologists employed in public hospitals.
The Gold Coast University Hospital lost the equivalent of eight full-time radiologists and is currently operating with five less than it needed.
Comments