The Australian Government has opened a new Medicare urgent care clinic at Our Medical Home Gold Coast in Oxenford in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland.

This new Gold Coast Medicare Urgent Care Clinic aims to provide easier access to urgent medical treatment from qualified doctors and nurses, relieving pressure on local hospitals.

Operating seven days a week with extended hours, the clinic offers walk-in care that is fully bulk billed.

This move responds to the high percentage of non-urgent or semi-urgent cases at Gold Coast University Hospital.

The Gold Coast clinic is the latest addition to five operational ones in Ipswich, Logan, Murrumba Downs, South Brisbane, and Toowoomba.

Additionally, the remaining five clinics are slated to open in Bundaberg, Cairns, North Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Townsville by the end of 2023.

The Albanese Government will continue collaborations with Primary Health Networks and the Palaszczuk Government to establish the remaining clinics.

Minister for Health, Mental Health, and Ambulance Services Shannon Fentiman said: “Gold Coast families deserve free, high-quality health care close to home – and that’s exactly what the new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will provide.

“Together with the Tugun Satellite Hospital, opening on Wednesday 15 November, we’re easing pressures on our busy hospitals and delivering more access to healthcare for families in the Gold Coast region.  

“It’s so nice to see that after a decade of underfunding by the former LNP federal government, we now have a government that takes healthcare – particularly preventative healthcare – seriously.”