Coburg will soon host a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, with the tender process already underway to appoint an operator.
The Coburg clinic will provide free, walk-in urgent health care, open seven days a week with extended hours. All patients will be fully bulk billed, ensuring that locals in Melbourne’s northern suburbs can access timely treatment without cost barriers or the need for appointments.
The facility is part of the Federal Government’s wider plan to ease pressure on major hospitals such as St Vincent’s, the Royal Melbourne, and Austin Hospital by treating non-life-threatening conditions before they escalate.
Local Primary Health Networks have begun calling for tenders from general practices, community health centres, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to run the clinic. Similar tender processes have also been launched for new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Bayside, Pakenham, Stonnington, Lilydale, Diamond Creek, Clifton Hill, and Torquay.
Since 2023, 90 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have opened nationally, with more than 1.8 million presentations, including over 376,000 in Victoria alone. Nearly a third of visits have been outside normal business hours, highlighting the role these clinics play in providing accessible health care after-hours and on weekends. More than one in four visits in Victoria have been for children under 15.
“These clinics will be open seven days a week, extended hours and most importantly they’ll be fully bulk billed, because affordable health shouldn’t require your credit card, just your Medicare card,” Health Minister Mark Butler said.
Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs and local MP Peter Khalil added that the new service will fill a vital gap in Coburg.
“So many locals have told me they delay care because it’s hard to get an appointment. A Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Coburg will bridge that gap, and give locals access to doctors and nurses when they need it most,” Khalil said.
“Getting the right care early can also stop a small problem becoming a major one. That’s what these clinics are designed to do — treat people early and keep them out of hospital.”
The Coburg clinic will join 20 existing Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Victoria, expanding access to bulk-billed urgent health services across the state.
