Indigenous Wellbeing Centre announced as Bundaberg Medicare Urgent Care Clinic

A bulk-billed clinic offering urgent health care will begin operations before the end of the year, helping to relieve pressure on the Bundaberg Hospital.

The Indigenous Wellbeing Centre has been chosen as Bundaberg’s federally-funded clinic providing bulk-billed urgent health care to the region, in a move which the federal government says will relieve some pressure from the beleaguered Bundaberg Hospital ED. Staff include Tayla Lankowski (IWC Urgent Care Clinic Manager), Louise Natusche (CCQ Country to Coast Senior Manager Regional Programs), Dr. Alicia Kohn (IWC Medical Director), Lisa McGrady (IWC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner) and Kathy Clarke (IWC Chief Operations Officer).

The Indigenous Wellbeing Centre has been chosen as Bundaberg’s federally-funded clinic providing bulk-billed health care to the region.

The Barolin St, Walkervale facility will operate as the Bundaberg Medicare Urgent Care Clinic from late November, with walk-in health care services seven days a week and bulk-billing for all patients.

The clinic will be funded by a $358.5m budget allocation nationally to improve availability of general practice clinics in order to relieve demand on hospital emergency departments.

Bundaberg Hospital regularly has the longest emergency department wait times in the state, with Queensland Health performance data showing 47 per cent patients presenting to the Bundaberg ED were not seen within clinically recommended wait times in the June quarter.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the clinic will provide a significant boost to the availability of healthcare in the region.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the clinic would provide a significant boost to the availability of healthcare in the region.

“(It) will make a big difference to patients in the region who will be able to walk in seven days a week and get free urgent care from a nurse or a doctor,” Mr Butler said.

“The clinic will ease pressure on Bundaberg Hospital, so that its hardworking doctors and nurses can focus higher priority emergencies.”

IWC CEO Wayne Mulvany said the clinic’s selection as the Bundaberg Medicare UCC was testament to the organisation’s inclusive and holistic ethos.

“Since our beginnings, our organisation has been committed to delivering truly inclusive services, by developing services built around our holistic and culturally responsive foundations and then making them available to everyone in our community,” Mr Mulvaney said.

“The Bundaberg Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is another way we’re demonstrating this ethos to everyone in our community.”

IWC Medical Director Dr. Alicia Kohn said while the Medicare UCC services are “an exciting and important development”, it is important that the public continue to see their regular GP.

“GPs have a close relationship and documented history with their patients and patients should still attempt to see their regular GP for non-urgent, routine and chronic conditions,” Dr Kohn said.

The brief for a new urgent care clinic included that it should be an existing non-government general practice clinic.

An application by Bundaberg Friendlies Society Private Hospital for the Bundaberg Medicare Urgent Care Clinic funding was rejected by the federal Department of Health in July due to the hospital’s location and the fact it was not a general practice, a decision which Friendlies CEO Michelle Thompson said was “disappointing”.

An application by Bundaberg Friendlies Society Private Hospital for the Bundaberg Medicare Urgent Care Clinic funding was rejected by the federal government in July.

Established in 2006 by the Bundaberg Burnett Region Community Development Aboriginal Corporation, IWC is a not-for profit health service which served 16,482 patients in 2021-22, 31 per cent of whom identified as Indigenous according to the latest annual report.

The federal government’s rollout of the clinics has been criticised by the opposition, with shadow health minister Anne Ruston in July accusing the government of “selling the public a lie” by failing to provide a deadline by which the clinics would be opened.

The Bundaberg Medicare UCC is one of 11 clinics being established in Queensland from Cairns to the Gold Coast.

A Department of Health announcement released on October 24 said five clinics were operational, with the remainder including the Bundaberg Medicare UCC to be opened before the end of 2023.

The IWC has been contacted for comment.