Labor candidates promise that Canberra’s families would have increased access under an Albanese Government to cheaper urgent medical care that they need.
A Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, they say, would be an alternative option to the Emergency Department for sick or injured Canberrans.
Labor has committed to 50 Urgent Care Clinics across Australia, and the Federal ACT Labor Team has announced that one of these clinics would be established on Canberra’s southside.
It would be the latest addition to the health services available in the ACT. Canberrans could receive urgent attention from a nurse or doctor without having to go to the Emergency Department for non-life-threatening medical conditions.
“Federal Labor’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are a key part of our plan to strengthen Medicare by making it easier to see a doctor,” said Senator Katy Gallagher. “Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will help to take the pressure off emergency departments, so the focus there can be on saving lives in emergencies.”
Families already struggle to access emergency care, the Labor politicians claim, and are under pressure from rising out of pocket costs which only contribute to the strain on household budgets.
Under the Liberals, out of pocket costs to see a GP in the ACT have gone up by 29 per cent, the Labor politicians claim.
“Real wages have suffered their biggest fall this century, and healthcare costs are part of the problem,” said Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Member for Fenner.
“Being sick shouldn’t make you poor. Only Labor can be trusted to provide the free and universal coverage that families so desperately need.”
“Canberrans have already embraced nurse-led walk-in centres across Canberra that provide families an alternative to waiting at the Emergency Department for treatment of urgent but non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses,” said Senator Gallagher.
A Federal Labor Government would work with the ACT Government to ensure that the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic integrated with and supports the services available at the walk-in centres, the candidates stated.
Care would be bulk-billed, meaning families would not be out-of-pocket for having a loved one attended to, just like if they’d gone to a public hospital, the Labor politicians stated.
“Australians deserve access to the best medical care – including here in Canberra where we have some of the lowest rates of bulk billing in the country,” said Alicia Payne MP, Member for Canberra.
“This urgent care centre will give Canberrans better access to healthcare and help take the pressure off our emergency departments.”
The Clinic would be open seven days a week, from at least 8am to 10pm – when most non-life-threatening injuries occur.
Medicare Urgent Care Clinics would be located across Australia – in every state and territory.
Each clinic would differ in size and structure, and the Urgent Care Clinic on Canberra’s southside would be tailored to meet the needs of the local community.
“This Medicare Urgent Care Clinic on Canberra’s southside is a practical, tangible example of Labor’s commitment to strengthen Medicare and make it easier for families to access care,” said David Smith MP, Member for Bean.
“All Canberrans are set to benefit from the services this clinic will provide, and it will also hearten Canberrans to know that clinics like these will make it easier for our busy staff in emergency departments to focus their care on serious medical emergencies.”
