NT doctors and politicians disagree on urgent care clinics in the Northern Territory
Urgent care clinics have been sold as a solution to clogged up hospital emergency departments, but some doctors disagree it’s a silver bullet.
Northern Territory
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Bulk-billing and improved access to healthcare are hot topics this federal election.
Along with recent announcements on mental health, Labor has placed their eggs in the urgent care clinic basket, claiming the free clinics for Medicare card holders would ease pressure and demand on local hospital emergency departments.
Labor Member for Solomon Luke Gosling reiterated this disputed claim on March 2 as he announced a second urgent care clinic for the Top End, this time in Darwin.
“(Palmerston) has had about 20,000 presentations so far, and is one of the most successful in the country,” Mr Gosling said.
“The (new Darwin) Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will be open seven days, for extended hours, and take pressure off the Royal Darwin Hospital.”
CLP candidate Lisa Bayliss said her government was generally supportive of urgent care clinics, hinting at further announcements in the near future.
“A Dutton Coalition Government will deliver urgent care clinics as they were intended — focused on relieving pressure on local hospitals and providing real access to bulk billed urgent healthcare,” Ms Bayliss said.
“We’ll have more to say on an urgent care clinic for Darwin in the coming days.”
However, claims this healthcare model are the best bang for buck and address “pressure” on hospital emergency departments have been disputed by many in the sector, including the Australian Medical Association NT (AMA NT).
“Until the effectiveness of urgent care clinics is established, it is not the best way to spend limited money,” AMA NT vice president John Zorbas said.
Dr Zorbas said primary healthcare providers such as GP practices should be prioritised over urgent care clinics in order to ease pressures on the Top End’s strained hospital system.
“Improving individual’s access to their GP will always lead to better outcome for the patient,” Dr Zorbas said.
“We support improved access to after hours care, but we don’t need a new system to do so.
“We should invest in the system we already have — GPs and local practices.”
Dr Zorbas said the type of patients who presented at urgent care clinics were not the same patients clogging up emergency departments.
“The cases that block up emergency departments are not urgent care patients — they are patients that are admitted to the hospital that do not have a ward bed to go to,” he said.
Dr Zorbas also said discussions on health funding should consider hospital infrastructure too, with construction on the ageing Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) beginning half a century ago in 1973
“RDH is way too small — it’s not fit for purpose anymore,” he said.
“The hospital is no longer big enough to service our population.”
On Wednesday it was revealed Labor has no proof its $750 million Medicare urgent care clinics have reduced waiting times in hospital emergency departments, even as Anthony Albanese pledges to roll out more facilities.
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Originally published as NT doctors and politicians disagree on urgent care clinics in the Northern Territory
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