‘Vital’: Medicare Urgent Care Clinics hit new milestone

The Albanese government is celebrating a milestone for its Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, which were central to Labor’s campaign for the May 3 election.

The Albanese government is hailing a milestone for its Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, which played a key role in Labor’s election campaign.

More than 1.5 million Australians have turned to one of the clinics for treatment as of May 16, saving the health system an estimated $254m in avoided hospital visits.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the clinics had become a “vital part” of the nation’s health system in just two years.

“They’re starting to take the pressure off hospitals and patients, delivering fully bulk billed care quickly and with no appointment needed,” he said.

“By July next year, another 50 Urgent Care Clinics will open their doors to patients, and 4 in 5 Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.”

. Health Minister Mark Butler (right) says the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are taking pressure of hospitals. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

The clinics aim to provide bulk-billed care to Australians in need of treatment for urgent but not life-threatening conditions seven days a week for extended business hours.

Patients with a Medicare card are able to walk in, no appointment needed, and be seen by a GP or nurse.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese often whipped out his own Medicare card on the campaign trail to push the clinics and the government’s ongoing plan for them, which Labor identified as a key reason for the government’s win.

Anthony Albanese made the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics a key part of his successful election campaign. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

According to an interim report, the median waiting time at Medicare UCCs was 30 minutes – half as long as a patient would wait in an emergency department – and are almost three times more likely to be seen within the first 60 minutes.

The most common reasons for attending were for respiratory, musculoskeletal and skin conditions.

In 2023, the first Urgent Care Clinic opened in Logan, Queensland to kickstart Labor’s promise to ease pressure on hospitals and emergency departments.

The government at the time pledged $771.6m over five years to open and operate the UCC network.

A second Interim Evaluation Report is due later in the year.

Originally published as ‘Vital’: Medicare Urgent Care Clinics hit new milestone