A new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will soon open in Hobart’s northern suburbs, providing fully bulk-billed care for residents across the wider Brighton, New Norfolk and Southern Midlands areas.
Located in Bridgewater at Jordan River Health on Hurst Street, the clinic will be the fifth of its kind in Tasmania, offering extended hours care seven days a week.
“Urgent Care Clinics provide an important primary care option for Tasmanians who can’t wait for an appointment with their regular GP but do not require a visit to the Emergency Department,” Health Minister Guy Barnett said.
“This will reduce pressure on the Royal Hobart Hospital and mean Tasmanians can access this fantastic service closer to home.”
The clinic will join four existing clinics in Hobart, Devonport and Launceston, which have seen tens of thousands of patients in their first year of operation.
Federal Member for Lyons Brian Mitchell said the clinic will benefit the wider area.
“I strongly made the case for the people of Bridgewater to have an alternative option than driving into the city for non-emergency medical situations,” he said.
A start date for the clinic is yet to be announced.
The opening follows the federal government’s May announcement of an additional Tasmanian clinic as part of a $227 million national expansion of the clinic program.
Health Minister Guy Barnett earlier said Tasmania had been short-changed in the deal, describing it as “completely insufficient”.
The state government is planning to further expand access to bulk-billed urgent care and plans to deliver more clinics in growing communities like Sorell, Kingston, Burnie and Launceston.
