A new seven-day bulk-billing urgent care clinic has opened on the Sunshine Coast, offering walk-in treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses.
The Buderim Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at 9 Ochre Way, Sippy Downs, is operating with extended hours, including weekends, with doctors and nurses who are equipped to treat a conditions and injuries such as such as cuts, viral infections and sprains that need urgent attention but aren’t life threatening.
The service is designed to ease pressure on the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
The Buderim clinic is the newest of Queensland’s network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, with 16 already operating and eight more on the way.
Nationally, 94 clinics are now open as part of the federal government’s plan to place four-in-five Australians within a 20-minute drive of urgent bulk-billed care.
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Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler said the Buderim clinic was a “game changer” for residents living in the area.
“The new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will ease pressure on the emergency department at Sunshine Coast University Hospital and free up staff at the hospital to provide care to people with more serious conditions,” he said.
“This clinic is a key part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to strengthen Medicare and make health care more accessible and affordable.”
Nationally, more than 2.2 million people have attended the urgent care clinics since mid-2023, including more than 439,800 visits in Queensland.
More than one in four of these were patients aged under 15 years old, more than one in four were on weekends, and more than one in four were weekday after-hours visits (at or after 5pm).
The clinic was commissioned by the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network. A second urgent care clinic on the Sunshine Coast is set to open in Caloundra in the new year.
Queensland Senator Corinne Mulholland said that as a mum with a young child, she knew first-hand how important it is for families to have access to free, urgent healthcare close to home.
“If you have something like a minor sprain, infection or rash you can now get looked after without having to visit the hospital – and the only thing you’ll need is your Medicare card,” she said.
The urgent care clinic is co-located at Ochre Medical Centre.
Country to Coast Queensland CEO Julie Sturgess said it was important to know urgent care clinics cannot treat complex trauma nor emergencies.
“If you or a loved one has a life-threatening injury or illness, call triple zero or go to the emergency department,” she said.
“Urgent care clinics are also not an alternative to visiting your GP, who should be your first point of contact for routine and preventative health care.”
