An urgent care clinic will open at Charlestown this month in an Albanese government move to raise bulk-billing and ease pressure on emergency departments.
The Medicare clinic will be based at Charlestown Medical and Dental Centre.
The clinic will see people for conditions such as upper respiratory infections, acute ear pain, cuts, sprains and rapid onset rashes.
Consultations require no appointments and are fully bulk-billed.
The clinic will be open for extended hours, seven days a week.
Such clinics usually have one doctor, one nurse and one secretary in operation.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the government sought to "strengthen Medicare and make it easier for people to see a doctor".
"People living in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie will be able to get the care they need from doctors and nurses without having to wait at the John Hunter," Mr Butler said.
He said the Charlestown clinic would "make a significant difference" in providing care "outside of normal GP hours without having to reach for your wallet".
Shortland MP Pat Conroy said Lake Macquarie residents had "made it clear that access to affordable, good quality healthcare is their number one priority".
Mr Conroy said the clinic would "address gaps in the health services available locally".
"People in our community will be able to access fully bulk-billed medical care at the clinic without needing to make an appointment," he said.
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said she was "proud to be part of a Labor government that is working hard to address healthcare gaps in our region".
"We've already restored GP Access After Hours at the John Hunter Hospital to its full operational hours, and reopened the clinic at the Calvary Mater Hospital," Ms Claydon said.
GP Access also operates at Belmont, Maitland and Toronto.
With the new urgent care clinic, she said "Novocastrians will have even more access to free, quality primary healthcare, where the only card you need is your Medicare card".
Many Hunter GP clinics now charge more than $100 for a standard consultation, with a Medicare rebate of $42.85.
As part of its normal clinic, Charlestown Medical and Dental Centre states that it charges $90 for a standard consultation. Its urgent care clinic, though, will be free.
The Albanese government has announced two rounds of urgent care clinics over the past two years.
In its 2023 budget, it announced 58 clinics - one of which was established at Cessnock.
In its budget in May this year, a further 29 clinics were announced, with one to be established in "Newcastle-Lake Macquarie".
The Charlestown centre was selected to operate the clinic, after an expressions of interest process run by Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network.
Hunter MP Dan Repacholi said the addition of another urgent care clinic in the Hunter was "another option to get timely access to care".
"I know the clinic in Cessnock has had over 10,000 visits in the first 12 months," he said.
Mr Butler, the health minister, visited Raymond Terrace last month.
During his visit, Paterson MP Meryl Swanson called for an urgent care clinic to be based there.
Mr Butler said he would "continue to talk" with Ms Swanson about "urgent care services in her electorate".
