Media Release: Mount Gambier's Urgent Care Clinic is a 'band-aid on a broken arm'

The Australian Medical Association in South Australia (AMA SA) is warning that the reopening of Mount Gambier’s Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) is not a long-term solution to the city’s critical GP shortage.

UCCs are federally funded walk-in clinics designed to treat non-life-threatening conditions. Mount Gambier’s only UCC closed in June after its previous operator went into liquidation. 

The Federal Health Minister announced on Friday that the Hawkins Medical Centre has now been selected to operate the clinic. 

AMA SA President Associate Professor Peter Subramaniam says while the UCC will provide some support, it is not a substitute for quality GP care.
‘Reopening Mount Gambier’s Urgent Care Clinic is like putting a band-aid on a broken arm,’ A/Prof Subramaniam says. 

‘Patients, especially those with chronic and complex health needs, require continuous and comprehensive care – the type of care that can only be provided by a trusted, long-term GP. 

‘Walk-in UCCs are not GP practices and they’re not designed to give patients the continuous comprehensive care they deserve. 
‘Instead of investing in UCCs, the AMA has long been calling on the Federal Government to modernise Medicare to ensure regional centres like Mount Gambier can attract and retain the GP workforce they so sorely need.’

Mount Gambier’s GP shortage has reached crisis point, with many patients reportedly forced to travel across the border for appointments in Victoria. A/Prof 

Subramaniam says the UCC model could exacerbate the shortage.

‘When there’s a shortage of GPs and nurses, setting up Urgent Care Clinics can drain resources from existing practices,’ A/Prof Subramaniam says. 

‘We need to attract and retain more GPs in regional areas, not redistribute an already stretched workforce.’

For more information please contact Media Manager Ben Terry on 0478 847 604.