A bulk-billed GP service in Newcastle used by around 15,000 people across the Hunter will cease operations at the end of the year.
The Calvary Mater Hospital at Waratah will close its GP Access After Hours service on December 24 due to rising operational costs and stagnant funding.
Other after hours service across the region will also have reduced hours from January 2022. These include at Belmont and Toronto where services on weekends will be halved, as well as services at Maitland and John Hunter Hospitals reduced by one hour each day.
There are concerns about the closure of the Calvary Mater service and the reduction in hours of other services across the region, as there are very limited local bulk-billing GP services.
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon says the reduction is services will only place more pressure on a system already under the pump.
"We do not want people turning up to tertiary health settings, such as hospitals and emergency departments, when they could be well treated and much better treated in more appropriate settings.
"This is something that our doctors in Newcastle and the Hunter knew 20 years ago when they set up this service," Ms Claydon said.
