TRANSCRIPT: MMM RIVERINA INTERVIEW WITH DAN FLEGG, 04 April 2024
Subjects: Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, Regional Health
E&OE
STARTS: 2:56pm
DAN FLEGG
We're hearing a lot about Urgent Care Centres opening up, right across the country, at the moment, and well over a dozen now in New South Wales. My first question to you is, is this something you'd like to see happen in your patch? Would you like to see a clinic opening up in your area?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, obviously I would and whilst you say right across the nation and you mention the number of these Medicare urgent care clinics, and that's fine, but it's fine if you live in a suburban area or a metropolitan area which is already well serviced by health services and health professionals, but any further measure to ease the burden on Riverina and Central West healthcare workers and patients would always be more than welcome, but it really is disappointing to see, though, that when you look at the interactive map on health.gov.au, that regional, rural and remote areas are largely missing out and that's just not good enough, and it's just simply not good enough when you when you see that other than Albury, which is an hour and a half drive from Wagga Wagga in the southern part of the electorate that I serve, the nearest location for one of these clinics is in the Australian Capital Territory. Now great for Canberrans, fantastic, half their luck, but that's you know that's three hours from Wagga Wagga and a four-and-a-half-hour trek from Tullamore in the northern part of my electorate. So, once again, it's always too little too late with this Government. This is the Government propped up by a health minister who says, well if you can't get a bulk billing doctor, then just get on the phone and get a hold of another one who will bulk bill. Well, you know, he comes from Adelaide, so his health services might be fantastic in Adelaide and good luck to him, but I'll tell you what, when people in the Riverina hear that and they know that they can't get a bulk billing doctor, let alone ring another one. I mean, some patients can, but generally it's hard. You can't just go ringing another doctor and then hoping for the best and that's what this Government is all about, it's just so city focused, so city centric and once again, country folk miss out.
DAN FLEGG
You made a good point there and yeah I have looked at the map myself and as soon as you get closer to the Western parts or, you know, central parts of the state, the urgent care clinics are far and few in between, in fact, it seems to be a fairly steady line that runs along the coast at the moment, and I've no doubt, having spoken to the Rural Doctors Association and you know a bunch of other groups across the sector of late, we're really crying out for more, you know, medical services in the region. So, I mean, do you think it'd be a bit of a no-brainer, I suppose, if we saw more of these kinds of clinics open up, it really would be more opportunity for medicos, you know, into the regions as well, wouldn't there? So, it's kind of a win-win if we do see more of this come up in the regions.
MICHAEL McCORMACK
Well, the doctors should be very concerned, country doctors should be very concerned about what this is going to be doing for them because it's just simply not good enough that the Rural Doctors Association have voiced their disapproval. I know Paul Mara from Gundagai has often talked about the lack of services in the bush and particularly under this government, we just seem to be getting — the gap seems to be getting wider and wider, and I know when we had, regional health ministers such as Mark Coulton and David Gillespie, they saw the need, they made improvements and I know even the Rural Medical School Network through the Murray-Darling that I established when I was Deputy Prime Minister — it will make a difference, but when you get a Government that is so city focused, when they do rollouts such as this Medicare Urgent Care Clinic and then pat themselves on the back about it. It's so galling to country people who shouldn't have to, when in pain, catch a plane. They simply should be able to have the services and the doctors and the, everything that goes with it, nearby, close by. They shouldn't have to read these media releases and think, well, why did we miss out?
DAN FLEGG
I got plenty there Michael. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
MICHAEL McCORMACK
No, that's that's fine. That's good. All right. Thanks Dan. Thanks again for your interest. I really appreciate you giving us a call.
ENDS: 3:01pm