Two new urgent care clinics are set to open in Australia, one in Western Australia and the other in Queensland.
In Western Australia, the Lagoon Medical Centre will be established as the Cockburn Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, providing extended hours and seven-day-a-week walk-in care that is fully bulk billed.
This clinic aims to alleviate the pressure on Fiona Stanley Hospital and is said to be the part of the government's commitment to improving access to urgent treatment.
It will add to the three existing clinics in Perth, Rockingham, and Joondalup and be followed by three more in Bunbury, Midland, and Broome.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said: “The Cockburn Medicare UCC is going to make a big difference to local people.
“They will be able to walk in, see a doctor or nurse, and access imaging and pathology services.
“This clinic will ease pressure on the Fiona Stanley Hospital, allowing them to concentrate on higher priority emergencies.
“There have been nearly 42,000 presentations to Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, including nearly 5,200 in Western Australia, and every very single patient has been completely bulk billed.
In Queensland, the Murrumba Downs Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will be established at the Murrumba Downs Medical & Dental Centre, offering similar extended hours and bulk-billed walk-in care.
This clinic, part of a network of 11 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Queensland, looks to reduce the burden on Redcliffe Hospital.
Assistant Minister Chisholm said: “This new Medicare UCC will offer high-quality care for residents in Brisbane’s North who need to see a medical professional for a health issue that is urgent and requires treatment, but is not life-threatening and doesn’t require attending the emergency department.
“The Murrumba Downs Medicare UCC will ease pressure on the local emergency department, and be much more convenient for our community, closer to home, at short notice, and free under Medicare.
“As more people choose to call this area home, that means more demand on local hospitals. Our government is committed to delivering the health services that Queensland needs to improve waiting times and protect lives.
“This is another example of the Albanese Labor Government delivering for Queensland’s rapidly growing suburbs.”
The government continues to collaborate with health networks and the respective state governments to ensure these clinics are operational this year.