The Albanese and Palaszczuk governments are making it easier for Toowoomba residents to see a doctor, with the Toowoomba Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC) opening next week.
Following an Expression of Interest process, Toowoomba Medical and Dental Centre will be established as a Medicare UCC to support the wider community, and will start seeing patients from Monday 23 October.
The Toowoomba Medicare UCC will deliver on the government’s commitment to make it easier for people in the region to get the urgent treatment they need – from highly qualified doctors and nurses – while taking pressure off the nearby Toowoomba Hospital.
The Medicare UCC will be open seven days a week, with extended hours and offer walk-in care that is fully bulk billed.
One in five presentations to Toowoomba Hospital are for non-urgent or semi-urgent care.
The Toowoomba clinic is one of 11 Medicare UCCs across Queensland – located in Bundaberg, Ipswich, Rockhampton, Cairns, South Brisbane, Northern Brisbane, Gold Coast, Murrumba Downs, Logan, Townsville and Toowoomba.
The UCCs in Toowoomba and Townsville are additional clinics established as a result of the strong collaboration between the Commonwealth and Queensland Government under the Primary Care Pilots program.
The Albanese Government will continue to work closely with Primary Health Networks and the Queensland Government to deliver the remaining Medicare UCCs, all of which will open by the end of this year.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“The Toowoomba Medicare UCC 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.
“The clinic will ease pressure on Toowoomba Hospital, so that its hard-working doctors and nurses can focus higher priority emergencies.
“The Toowoomba Medicare UCC is just another way the Government is strengthening Medicare and making it easier to see a doctor.”
Quotes attributable to Minister Fentiman:
“Toowoomba families deserve free, high-quality health care close to home – and that’s exactly what the new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will provide.
“I’m so proud that the Palaszczuk Government helped to deliver this facility, which will treat urgent, but not life-threatening, conditions and illnesses.
“Together with the state government’s Satellite Hospital Program across the south-east, these Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will ease pressure on our busy hospitals.
“This is another example of the Albanese and Palaszczuk governments delivering for Queensland.”
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister Chisholm:
“The opening of the Toowoomba Medicare UCC means locals who need urgent, but not acute care, can see a doctor quickly even if it’s outside standard hours – and all they’ll need is their Medicare card.
“As I travel across regional Queensland, many people have raised the cost of seeing a doctor with me. UCC’s don’t just help ease hospital waiting times, they also help reduce costs in people’s household budgets.
“This Medicare UCC will be a much-needed asset to the Toowoomba region and a convenient option for those in the community who need urgent bulk billed healthcare at short notice.”
