Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In great news for my electorate, the Labor government has delivered a new Medicare urgent care clinic. Bendigo will now have access to bulk-billed, high-quality health care seven days a week. In its first month alone, this clinic had over 800 visits, demonstrating the critical need for this service in my electorate. The largest proportion of presentations to the Medicare urgent care clinic were children. Over one in three visitors were under the age of 18. As a mum of a three-year-old and a four-year-old, I know, from talking to kinder parents, how this service has made a difference. Almost half of these visits have occurred after hours.

Bendigo has struggled to attract GPs to do after-hours services, so this clinic is making a difference. Importantly, this clinic is taking the pressure off the Bendigo Health emergency department, which is just around the corner. The clinic has already demonstrated, in data provided by Bendigo Health, that one in three visits to the emergency department are non-life-threatening conditions; therefore, having this clinic does give people an alternative. As I said, there is very limited access to after-hours GP services, meaning that people end up at ED.

Labor is helping more people see a GP and helping people get the bulk-billed services they require. All you need for this clinic is your Medicare card.