The Albanese Government is delivering for Ali Curung (Barkly Region), Lajamanu (Big River Region) and Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) with the opening of three new remote Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
The three Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have been adapted to operate in a remote context and better meet the health needs of First Nations communities by providing care for non-life threatening conditions, treatment awaiting aeromedical transfer, and chronic conditions.
No appointment is needed, patients can walk in, and all services are bulk billed. The clinics provide an on-call service over weekends and over extended hours during the week.
The new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics join five existing clinics in the Northern Territory in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Palmerston, Alyangula, Maningrida and Wurrumiyanga that have already seen more than 32,000 presentations to date.
The Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will ease pressure on busy emergency department, where 52% of presentations to NT hospitals were for non-urgent or semi-urgent care in 2022-23.
These locations were chosen in partnership with NT Health and Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“The three additional Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are a game changer for remote and First Nations communities.
“More than a third of all visits to Medicare UCCs in the NT are from people under 15, giving parents peace of mind that when their kids need urgent care they’ll be seen.
“The Albanese Government has delivered eight Medicare Urgent Care Clinics for the Northern Territory that are adapted to operate in a remote context to include the treatment services critically needed.”
Quotes attributable to Marion Scrymgour, Member for Lingiari:
“I congratulate the Albanese Labor Government’s strong commitment to improving the availability of health services and making it easier for Territorians in my electorate to see a doctor, particularly in the bush.
“The three new remote clinics in the Northern Territory will be co-located with existing health services, to ease pressure on local primary care providers. This will deliver more coordinated services that are better tailored to communities, giving residents the care they need, at a time and place when it is needed the most.
“Not only are Medicare Urgent Care Clinics diverting non-urgent cases from hospital waiting rooms, they also provide bulk-billed services with no additional out-of-pocket expenses. For the many families in my electorate experiencing significant cost of living pressures, this is a welcomed outcome and is contributing to a bulk-billing rate for Lingiari of just under 83%. In practical terms, this means 38,302 more visits to the GP in my electorate that are fully bulk billed.”
