Canberra doctors say Labor's plan to expand the ACT walk-in centre network is costly and will not deliver "optimal care".
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Australian Medical Association ACT president Antonio Di Dio said the group had made several alternative proposals to the government which would be cheaper and more effective. He said the government could provide vouchers for vulnerable Canberrans for appointments with general practitioners.
Another proposal was to create an urgent care scheme, where patients are linked up to a local GP via an online or one-call system.
"Walk in centres are both costly and fail to deliver optimal care," he said.
"It's clear that we should be aiming for better integrated care led by GPs.
"The evidence shows that better integration of care leads to better health outcomes and a more efficient healthcare system.
"Walk in centres are likely to do the exact opposite - they potentially further splinter care."
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith was unable to give a cost estimate for the election pledge, saying it would depend on the locations for the centres.
But she said each centre could cost between $2.5 million to $5 million to establish, based on the price of current clinics. Dr Di Dio said the five centres currently cost about $30 million to run each year.
Deputy Opposition Leader Nicole Lawder said the government couldn't be trusted to deliver the pledge after long delays with the Canberra Hospital expansion project - previously dubbed SPIRE.
"In desperation they're promising five new walk-in centres," she said.
"They play an important part in our primary health system but they're not going to fix many of the issues we have [around emergency department and elective surgery wait times]."
On Monday, Ms Stephen-Smith announced Labor would build five new walk-in centres if re-elected, with each clinic expanded to become a community health centre.