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Opening hours extended at Murray Bridge respiratory clinic

The clinic will now open on weekends, thanks to support from SA Health and the Country SA Primary Health Network.

Peri Strathearn

Peri Strathearn

— 2 min read
Opening hours extended at Murray Bridge respiratory clinic

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Dr Yng Or, Sally Jarrett and their colleagues are glad Murray Bridge’s respiratory clinic has had its opening hours extended. Photo: Peri Strathearn.

Health care will now be easier to access for anyone with COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses in Murray Bridge.

Murray Bridge Respiratory Clinic, on Homburg Drive, will now open between 9am and 4pm on weekends.

The clinic offers assessment and testing for anyone with COVID-like symptoms, such as runny noses or coughs; as well as general health care for people currently quarantining with COVID-19.

It had previously been open only on weekdays, from 9am to 4.30pm.

Manager Sally Jarrett was grateful that funding from SA Health and the Country SA Primary Health Network had made it possible to extend the clinic’s opening hours until at least the end of September.

“It’s really about trying to get the right health care at the right time and the right place for our community,” she said.

Because respiratory patients were unable to visit their usual GPs in person, they ended up having phone consultations instead – and usually ended up needing to visit the respiratory clinic anyway.

Having more face-to-face consultations available would make things easier for everyone.

Staff at Bridge Clinic, and other local GP clinics, have been on the front lines of the pandemic for more than two years now. Photo: Bridge Clinic/Facebook.

Murray Bridge’s medical workers needed whatever help they could get as the pandemic rolled into its third year, Ms Jarrett said.

Changes in the way COVID-19 was being managed – with fewer community-wide restrictions and greater availability of preventative medication for at-risk COVID patients – had shifted a lot of work from metropolitan hospitals back onto local GPs.

“Our doctors are really tired,” she said.

“We’ve had some doctors retire earlier this year and haven’t got any replacements.

“We’re doing everything we can to lure doctors up here.”

She credited other staff at the clinic, and their colleagues at the Murray Bridge hospital, for helping to pick up the slack in the meantime.

Correction: An earlier version of this post gave an incorrect spelling for Ms Jarrett’s surname.

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