PM Transcripts

Transcripts from the Prime Ministers of Australia

Rudd, Kevin

Period of Service: 03/12/2007 - 24/06/2010
Release Date:
14/08/2009
Release Type:
Media Release
Transcript ID:
16754
Released by:
  • Rudd, Kevin
Three new GP Super Clinics in Victoria Joint Media Release with the Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon

Three new GP Super Clinics will be built in Victoria to deliver better health services, take pressure off our hospitals, and make sure families can get the health care they need.

$15.2 million will be provided to fund three GP Super Clinics to be located at Portland, Wodonga and South Morang.

The $4.9 million Portland GP Super Clinic will focus on reducing avoidable hospital admissions, with an emphasis on diabetes-related allied health services (dietetics, diabetes education, podiatry) and drug and alcohol services. The Clinic will also provide family planning, dental health services and a telehealth room to deliver virtual services to outreach centres in western Victoria.

The $6.65 million Wodonga GP Super Clinic will focus on chronic disease self management and a strong emphasis on training and education to provide clinical training places to medical, allied health, pharmacy and nursing students from a number of universities. As well as GPs there will be pathology services, audiology and podiatry services and a pharmacy.

The $3.7 million South Morang GP Super Clinic will be a newly constructed facility to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding community in the City of Whittlesea. The Clinic will employ 12 GPs and bring together existing community health services for early childhood (speech, neuropsychology, parenting), youth counselling, drug and alcohol counselling, chronic disease management, dental and mental health services.

GP Super Clinics are a Rudd Government initiative to improve access to quality health care in our community.

They are a significant investment in taking pressure off our hospitals.

The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission's final report has recommended that the Government improve access to comprehensive and multidisciplinary primary health care services in a single community location - which the Rudd Government's GP Super Clinics deliver.

This investment will help address the lack of critical infrastructure across the health system after twelve years of neglect by the Howard Government.

The Government has now signed contracts for 24 GP Super Clinics and construction is underway at eight sites. $275 million has been allocated to establish GP Super Clinics in communities around the nation.

The new GP Super Clinics announced today bring the total number of clinics funded by the Rudd Government to 34.

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