The Albanese Government is delivering cheaper and more accessible healthcare for residents across the Fraser Coast with the opening of the Hervey Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (Medicare UCC).
Located at the Pialba Medical Centre, the Hervey Bay Medicare UCC will provide care for urgent but not life-threatening conditions, such as cuts, infections, and sprains. The clinic will be open seven days a week and will operate extended hours.
This clinic is completely bulk billed, which means more people can access high-quality care quickly, at no cost.
You don’t need a credit card, you just need your Medicare card.
A million Australians have already benefited from the free and high-quality healthcare Medicare Urgent Care Clinics provide.
The Hervey Bay Medicare UCC is the 16th to open in Queensland. There have been more than 168,000 presentations to the 15 existing Medicare UCCs in Queensland since the first clinics opened in the state in August 2023.
The clinic will also ease pressure on the Hervey Bay Hospital, where more than 43 per cent of visits to the hospital in 2022–23 were for semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.
Quotes attributable to Treasurer, Jim Chalmers:
“This is a big win for families and pensioners on the Fraser Coast.
“It will make it much easier to see a bulk billing doctor here in Hervey Bay.
“More bulk billing is one of the best ways we can help to ease the cost of living for Fraser Coast families and that’s what this is all about.
“The new Hervey Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will ensure local families get free healthcare when and where they need it, without an appointment.
This is part of our billions of dollars of investment in strengthening Medicare.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Mark Butler:
“The Hervey Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will make a huge difference to the local community, and help locals save time by avoiding the emergency department at nearby hospitals.
“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are already delivering for Queenslanders.
“There have been over 168,000 presentations to the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Queensland, which means patients have been able to receive urgent care quickly and for free.”
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Senator for Queensland, Anthony Chisholm:
“Urgent Care Clinics are easing the pressure on Queensland’s hospital emergency departments and the hardworking doctors and nurses who staff them, so they can focus on higher-priority emergencies and lifesaving care.
“This is just one way our government is boosting Medicare services after nine years of cuts and neglect from the former LNP government
“From broken bones to burns, coughs, colds or cuts - you can head straight to the clinic rather than to the emergency department.
“This centre will deliver quicker care, closer to home for lots of people.
“Labor created Medicare and only Labor will protect and strengthen Medicare, because we want every Australian to have access to free urgent health care, when they need it.”
