Elsie Lange
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles and Hawke candidate Sam Rae last month revealed Sunbury would receive one of the 50 new urgent care clinics pledged by his party if they win the federal election.
As it stands, residents seeking emergency care need to travel to Sunshine Hospital, and GP waiting lists are long.
A Labor statement said Sunbury families are “under pressure from rising out of pocket costs to see a GP which only contributes to the strain on household budgets and blown-out wait times”.
Mr Marles said the clinics would mean more families would be able to access health care without having to wait in an emergency department.
“These clinics are a key part of Labor’s plan to strengthen Medicare by making it easier to see a doctor,” Mr Marles said.
The party said it will invest more than $135 million across four years to establish a trial of the 50 clinics.
“They’ll be open seven days a week from at least 8am to 10pm – the time when the majority of non-life-threatening injuries occur,” Labor said.
According to the Labor, the clinics will treat sprains, broken bones, cuts, wounds, insect bites, minor ear and eye problems and minor burns, all covered by bulk billing as if residents were attending a public hospital.
Mr Rae said he had heard “first hand” from residents how hard it was to get into a doctor.
“An Urgent Care for Sunbury will reduce wait times at GPs while relieving the pressure on Emergency Departments,” Mr Rae said.
Federal Labor’s clinics are not to be confused with the state government’s announcement of a Sunbury Community Hospital in 2018, with construction set to begin in July to August 2022.
The community hospital, expanding the existing Sunbury Day Hospital, was part of the state government’s $675 million plan to deliver 10 hospitals in growth areas.
The community hospital will offer diagnostic services including x-ray, ultrasound rooms and CT scans, pharmacy and pathology services and a separate reception and waiting area.
Sunbury MP Josh Bull said federal Labor’s announcement was “fantastic” for the community, which would “probably” be at the same site as the community hospital.
“If Labor is to win the federal election, what we will do is sit down with Sam and the federal government and plan the service so that those additional services can be delivered locally,” Mr Bull said.
