House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic Ms PRATT House of Assembly Frome Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Has the urgent care clinic in Mount Gambier closed and, if so, what impact has that had on the Mount Gambier community and has the minister taken any action? The Hon. C.J. PICTON House of Assembly Kaurna Minister for Health and Wellbeing Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:59): The clinic has and that is, of course, a matter for the federal government to provide that clinic. The federal government provides the Medicare urgent care clinics across the country. I understand that the primary health network in this case, the Country SA Primary Health Network that commissioned the contract with that service, is going to be actively out within coming days in terms of undertaking a new EOI for a new clinic to take place in the Mount Gambier region. We have, of course, been in contact with both the federal government and also the primary health network about that. Obviously, the Limestone Coast Local Health Network is looking at what plans it can make in terms of making sure that if there is any increase in presentations at the Mount Gambier hospital it will be able to manage in the interim until a new service is established. Obviously, we hope that the federal government can re-establish that service as soon as possible because primary care services are vital right across the state, particularly in major regional centres such as Mount Gambier, to reduce pressure on our acute hospital system. The other thing I would note is that the government is investing in the Mount Gambier emergency department, which is obviously within our area of health responsibility. We are expanding that emergency department at the moment and that expansion will be open this year and provide more care for people who have acute cases who need to get cared for at the hospital. We look forward, hopefully, to a new urgent care centre opening through the federal government and primary health network arrangements in coming months, and we will continue to work with the federal government on that matter.