Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care
Chris Picton MP
South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing
Third Medicare Urgent Care Clinic opens in South Australia
The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to South Australians, with the Mount Gambier Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC) opening from 20 November at Mount Gambier Family Health.
This Medicare UCC delivers on the Australian Government's commitment to make it easier for South Australians to get the urgent treatment they need – from highly qualified doctors and nurses – while taking pressure off local hospitals.
The Medicare UCC will be open for extended hours, 7 days a week, and offer walk-in care that is fully bulk billed.
More than 50 per cent of presentations to the Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service are for non-urgent or semi-urgent care.
The Mount Gambier clinic will join the Elizabeth and Marion Medicare UCCs in providing services to South Australians for urgent care needs.
The Australian Government will continue to work closely with the Primary Health Networks and the South Australian Government to deliver the remaining Medicare UCCs.
As put by Minister Butler
"The Mount Gambier Medicare UCC is going to make a big difference to patients in this region.
"Local communities will be able to walk in, see a doctor or nurse and access imaging and pathology services.
"This clinic will ease pressure on the Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service, allowing them to concentrate on higher priority emergencies.
"The Albanese Government is committed to strengthening Medicare and making it easier and cheaper to get quality healthcare, by tripling the bulk billing incentive and making medicines cheaper."
As put by Minister Picton
"The Mount Gambier Medicare UCC will mean people in the Limestone Coast who need urgent but non life-threatening care, can get it quickly even if it's outside standard hours – and all they'll need is their Medicare card.
"This is a positive step towards restoring bulk-billed primary care services that have disappeared over the last decade and will help to manage demand as the Malinauskas Labor State Government gets on with $24 million of infrastructure upgrades to the Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service.
"This Medicare UCC will ease pressure on the local emergency department and be much more convenient for our communities – closer to home, at short notice, and bulk billed under Medicare."
