Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stopped by Tasmania to throw his support behind state Labor’s healthcare promises.
Albanese used the visit to spruik federal Labor’s healthcare record while endorsing Dean Winter’s ‘Tassie Docs’ policy, which would establish state-run GP clinics offering free appointments across Tasmania.
“Labor will always prioritise health care, whether it’s federal or state and I know that Dean Winter has a plan to do just that,” Albanese said outside the Ochre Health Medicare Urgent Care Clinic on Liverpool Street.
He pointed to the success of urgent care clinics, with 87 now open around the country. In Tasmania, five urgent care clinics have treated almost 100,000 patients.
“That’s 100,000 people less waiting at the emergency department of hospitals or waiting to try to get in to see a local GP,” Albanese said.
Winter said the federal government’s healthcare investments inspired the ‘Tassie Docs’ plan, which will provide bulk-billed GP services in regional areas where clinic closures have left communities without local doctors.
“This is about a Tasmanian Labor government working with a federal Labor government to make sure Tasmanians get access to the health care they need when they need it,” Winter said.
Labor’s health spokesperson Ella Haddad said ‘Tassie Docs’ would complement federal urgent care clinics by providing ongoing GP care, rather than just urgent treatment.
The state-run clinics would be “powered by Medicare” and make use of increased federal bulk-billing incentives.
“What Tassie Doc will do is make sure that people can see ongoing GPs in their communities to cater to their long-term health needs,” Haddad said.
“It will prevent people from needing to go to the emergency department.”
Dr Jane Goodman from the Ochre Health clinic said about 30% of patients treated at urgent care clinics don’t have a regular GP.
“We primarily see people who are sick on the day, who are unable to get in and see their own general practitioner or who don’t have a GP at all,” Dr Goodman said.
The clinic treats minor illnesses and injuries, with about 2% of presentations requiring referral to emergency departments.
Since opening, the Liverpool Street clinic has treated around 15,000 patients.
If elected, Labor plans to open the first of five new clinics across the state by the end of the year.
