Paion Medical has gone into liquidation and three more healthcare clinics could close in Mount Gambier

Three “vital” health clinics servicing a regional town may be forced to close its doors as liquidators close in.

A regional healthcare provider has gone into liquidation with fears three clinics owned by the company in the town could close.

Paion Medical, owned by Mount Gambier GP Richard Try, went into liquidation on January 29.

Dr Try’s company operates three clinics in the South East town of Mount Gambier: the Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic, Mount Gambier Family Health and the Mount Gambier Skin Cancer Clinic.

The urgent care clinic is the only one of its kind in Mount Gambier, serving a crucial component of the community’s health services.

Dr Richard Try is the director of Paion Medical. Picture: Facebook

Urgent care clinics are a federal government initiative, designed to provide prompt care for non-life threatening health conditions in an attempt to alleviate demands on hospitals.

The Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic opened its doors on November 20, 2023, treating 8432 patients by February 4 this year.

“It is a much needed service in the community,” a spokesperson for the Mount Gambier and Districts Residents and Ratepayers Association (MGDRRA) said.

“The clinic is a great project, but it did not have the infrastructure to support it.”

A Paion Medical spokeswoman said the company was committed to keeping the three clinics open, despite the liquidation.

“Being a vital medical service to the community we won’t be closing our doors,” the spokesman said.

“We will continue to work through this restructure and are committed to keeping the doors open for the foreseeable future.”

Dr Try declined to comment for “legal reasons”.

The MGDRRA spokesperson said staff shortages and “inappropriate” use of the clinic were possible factors for the frequent closure which plagued the clinic.

There were many posts similar to this on the urgent care clinic’s Facebook page. Picture: Facebook

“The community has some responsibility for its closure — people do not understand the function of urgent care clinics,” he said

A visitor to the clinic, who asked not to be named, told The Advertiser they witnessed misuse of the clinic recently.

“People arrived (at the urgent care clinic) with a seriously ill elderly woman who required urgent hospital care — not clinical care,” they said.

“This resulted in all available staff urgently caring for this woman.”

Mount Gambier does have a hospital for urgent life-threatening care only seven minutes drive from the clinic.

AMA SA president Dr John Williams at Mount Gambier Hospital. Picture: Supplied

Australian Medical Association SA president Doctor John Williams told ABC radio on Tuesday the “core problem” with urgent care clinics “is the number of doctors available, especially in rural areas”.

“We know this is a long-term problem,” Dr Williams said.

“What it needs is fixing at the root, which is the underfunding of Medicare.”

Liquidator Stuart Otway told The Advertiser that funding from the Country SA Primary Health Network had been secured to continue the urgent care clinic’s operations.

[The liquidators] have sufficient funding to enable the ongoing operations of all businesses, while the future of the company is determined,” Mr Otway said.