SUNSHINE COAST DAILY
-Lacee Froeschl
DEMAND for medicinal marijuana on the Sunshine Coast has doubled in a couple of months, and a local medical practice needs more GPs to help deliver its services.
Medwell Medical and Wellness Clinic GP Dr Kiran Varma has been prescribing the drug for two years and said in that time, the demand for the alternative treatment had soared to new heights.
The number of applications to the Therapeutic Goods Administration to prescribe medicinal marijuana for patients has doubled in the span of a couple of months, from 200 to more than 400.
Dr Varma said the clinic has about 30 to 40 patient consultations for medical marijuana each week.
He attributes the increase to a shift in community and medical field perspectives.
“This type of treatment is becoming more accepted in the community, and there’s also a lot more awareness around what it can do,” he said.
“Patients are more open to trying something they haven’t before, especially something unconventional.”
Late last year, Medwell Medical and Wellness Clinic partnered with The Cannabis Centre to help adapt its services to include assisting medical professionals and patients alike in navigating the regulatory pathway for prescribing cannabinoid products in Australia.
Dr Varma is about to embark on a campaign to attract interstate GP’s to relocate to the Sunshine Coast to join the rapidly growing practice.
(FILE: Medwell Medical and Wellness Clinic GP Kiran Varma (right), pictured with practice manager Morgyn Bailey, says demand for medicinal marijuana on the Sunshine Coast has doubled in a couple of months. Photo: Warren Lynam)
As one of only a few local medical practitioners to prescribe medicinal marijuana, Dr Varma knows first-hand the importance of GPs who share the same values and commitments to patients and practices as him.
“First and foremost, our patients and their needs are our number one priority”, Dr Varma said.
“However, you cannot sustain the growth we are seeing without investing serious time into the building of a team who have shared values and who are committed to a culture and the creation of a work environment that is caring, respectful and committed to the success of everyone.
“We are the only Medical Cannabis Centre currently operating on the Sunshine Coast and while that is not the primary focus of our practice, it is an important part of what we do in managing patient health.”
