More than 600 pairs of thongs are heading to remote communities on the Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait to make sure barefoot patients can board flights to access health care.

Nurses sparked the idea of a thong donation drive after incidents where patients arrived for flights without appropriate footwear and were unable to board.

Hundreds of thongs will be distributed in remote communities to give to any passengers on flights who need shoes.

Cook MP Cynthia Lui said the donation would allow a stock of thongs to be stored at airports and health care centres in the state's north, so they could be provided to clients and patients before they boarded flights.

"People who turn up without appropriate footwear are often unable to board their scheduled flights to access necessary health care in larger centres," she said.