The Australian Government is set to open two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) in Palmerston and Alice Springs.

The Palmerston UCC will be located at Palmerston GP Super Clinic and will be operational from 1 October.

The UCC in Alice Springs will open on 1 November and be operated by the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.

The two clinics will offer walk-in care every day of the week, allowing patients to receive urgent medical services with bulk billing.

They will also provide services such as imaging and pathology without the need for an appointment.

Plans for the two clinics were initially announced in May this year.

The Australian Government said that more than half of emergency department visits in the Northern Territory in 2021 and last year were for non-urgent or semi-urgent issues.

The two UCCs aim to relieve pressure on hospitals and make healthcare convenient for the local community while being covered under Medicare.

Australian Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said: “The Palmerston and Alice Springs Medicare UCCs will make a big difference to local patients who will be able to walk in during extended hours and receive convenient, high-quality care from a nurse or a doctor.

“The clinics will ensure families in the Northern Territory can access bulk billed health care without having to wait in a hospital emergency department.

“This is just another way the Government is strengthening Medicare and making it easier to see a doctor.”

Last month, the Australian Government opened a UCC in Jamisontown, Western Sydney, with the aim to provide fully bulk-billed urgent care services for locals.

The UCC is one of 14 being opened in New South Wales, with clinics opening in Albury, Campbelltown, Tamworth and Wollongong among other locations.