Delivering a second Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for Cairns

The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment for a further 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics with the tender process underway to identify a provider to operate the Cairns clinic.
 
The second Cairns Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will be open over extended hours, seven days a week, with no appointment needed, and all patients will be fully bulk billed.
 
This clinic will service the northern suburbs of Cairns and take pressure off the Cairns Hospital, filling an important gap in services across extended hours and over the weekend.
 
The tender process is being led by the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network to identify a provider, which is open to general practices, community health centres and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services until 29 September 2025.
 
Ninety Medicare UCCs have opened across Australia, which have already seen more than 1.8 million presentations since the first sites opened in June 2023, including over 367,000 presentations to Queensland Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

Over 29 per cent of presentations to Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Queensland have been outside standard business hours, which means the clinics are filling an important gap in services across extended hours and over the weekend.
 
Over one in four visits to a Queensland Medicare UCC have taken place on the weekend, and one in four have taken place at 5 pm or later.
 
And with over one in four visits treating a young person under 15, Queensland Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are giving families timely health care and peace of mind.
 
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
 
“The Albanese Government is delivering more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in regional Queensland.
 
“The Cairns South Medicare Urgent Care Clinic has already seen over 28,500 presentations.
 
“We know the community is after even more services and that’s what the Albanese Government is delivering.”
 
Quotes attributable to Matt Smith MP, Member for Leichhardt:
 
“The opening of the tender to deliver a second Medicare Urgent Care Clinic here in Cairns is really exciting, given how many presentations the Cairns South clinic has had.
 
“Servicing the northern suburbs, this will take pressure not just off the Cairns South UCC, but also the hospital, as it will give easier access for those in the Northern Beaches and even travelling from the Kuranda Range.
 
“We know things happen without notice when it comes to our health, so having a place to be seen, quickly, when needed with no appointment is fantastic for families everywhere.”