Fourth Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for Tasmania

The federal government has announced it will establish a fourth urgent care clinic in Tasmania in a bid to improve access to health care and ease the burden on over stretched public hospitals.

Anthony Albanese will visit Tasmania on Monday to announce the update for the key Labor election promise to roll out 50 UCCs across the country to take the strain off overwhelmed emergency departments. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nicholas Eagar

The federal government has ­announced it will establish a fourth urgent care clinic in Tasmania in a bid to improve access to healthcare and ease the burden on overstretched public hospitals.

Tasmanians will have access to two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Hobart, one in Devonport and one in Launceston, which will offer bulk-billed 24-hour medical care to patients in non-life-threatening situations.

Anthony Albanese will visit Tasmania on Monday to announce the update for the key election promise to roll out 50 clinics across the country to take the strain off overwhelmed emergency departments, with 41 per cent of presentations currently classified as semi- or non-urgent.

“We understand that Tasmanians need better access to affordable healthcare, close to home,” Mr Albanese said. “Our Urgent Care Clinics are a commonsense solution that will mean ­people can access a doctor close to where they live, while also taking pressure off of emergency ­departments.

“This is about making sure that they can get the right care, in the right place, when it’s needed, and that it’s bulk-billed through the Medicare system.”

The clinics will be delivered under a joint funding arrangement with the Tasmanian government.

It comes as Liberal MP Bridget Archer, who holds the seat of Bass in Tasmania’s northeast, takes a stand against the party’s line on the voice, going public with her support for the proposal after ­Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced his party would be backing the No campaign.

Tasmania has become a target for the Albanese government, with Labor holding two of the state’s five seats with Franklin MP Julie Collins and Brian Mitchell in Lyon, while independent Andrew Wilkie holds Clarke.