Labor candidate for Whitlam Carol Berry and member for Shellharbour Anna Watson announce a re-elected Labor government will provide a new urgent care clinic at Shellharbour. Photo: Anna Watson.
A new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Shellharbour is on the cards if the federal Labor government is reelected.
Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones, member for Shellharbour Anna Watson and Labor candidate for Whitlam Carol Berry made the announcement at Shellharbour Hospital on Monday (3 March).
The clinic would be one of 50 delivered across the country as part of a $644 million commitment.
The government announced if they are re-elected the Shellharbour clinic would begin operating in the 2025-26 financial year, providing fully bulk-billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week, for extended hours, and with no appointment needed.
Ms Watson said the clinic would be a win for Shellharbour residents.
“A Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will mean that families can access urgent medical care close to home, without the stress of long wait times at the emergency department,” she said.
“I know from speaking with local residents that healthcare access is a top priority.
“This clinic will take the pressure off Shellharbour Hospital and ensure people can get the care they need, fully bulk billed.
“Labor has always had a strong held belief that all Australians regardless of their bank balance are entitled to universal health care as a basic human right.”
The Urgent Care Clinic will take pressure off the Shellharbour Hospital, which saw 19,182 non-urgent and semi-urgent presentations in 2023-24.
So far there are 87 federally-funded urgent care clinics across the country.
Mr Jones said it was the biggest investment in Medicare over the past 40 years.
“The Albanese Labor government is making the biggest investment in Medicare in over 40 years, and the new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Shellharbour is proof of that commitment,” he said.
“This clinic will make it easier for locals to see a doctor when they need one, without having to pay out-of-pocket fees or wait for hours in the emergency department.”
Around 2 million Australians are expected to make use of an Urgent Care Clinic each year, getting the free urgent care they need, fully bulk billed, without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department.
