Mount Gambier’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will continue to see patients for the “foreseeable future” despite its operator entering liquidation.

News broke this week that a liquidator had been appointed for Paion Medical Proprietary Limited, owned by Mount Gambier’s Dr Richard Try.

SV Partners Director Stuart Otway on Tuesday confirmed the company was placed into liquidation by the Federal Court of Australia and that he and Alan Scott had been appointed as liquidators.

Mr Otway said the company’s clinics were continuing operate as normal whilst the liquidators work through the financial situation.

Those operations include the Urgent Care Clinic, along with Mount Gambier Family Health and the Mount Gambier Skin Cancer Clinic

“We are also looking at restoring and extending the operating hours of the Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic to meet the needs of the community,” Mr Otway said.

“Our main focus is keeping the various clinics open.”

The liquidators are conducting an urgent assessment of Paion’s business operations to determine the amount of funding required to continue running the clinics.

Mr Otway said SV Partners were appointed as liquidators on January 29.

“At the time of our appointment, the company acted as trustee of the Try Family Trust trading as the medical centre, including the Urgent Care clinic,” Mr Otway said.

“Following certain legal proceedings, which were dismissed on 5 February 2025, we took control of the medical centre on 7 February 2025.

“We are conducting an urgent assessment of the business operations to determine the amount of funding required to continue those operations.

“If we have sufficient cash flow fund the business, we will seek to continue its operations in its entirety until its future is decided.

“The next steps are then to maximise the return to creditors either by sale of the business to a third party or by way of a Deed of Company Arrangement if a proposal is accepted by creditors.”

Mr Otway said the main message for the community was that is “business as usual”.

A Country SA Primary Health Network spokeswoman said they were working to retain the clinic’s operations.

“Country SA PHN is disappointed the entity commissioned to operate the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (MUCC), has needed to be placed into liquidation. Country SA PHN understands the entity also operates two unrelated businesses (to the MUCC),” she said.

“Country SA PHN is assisting and working proactively with the appointed liquidators to try and maintain the MUCC service for the community of Mount Gambier and surrounds.

“We understand that part of the role of a liquidator is to inquire into the failure of an entity and report to ASIC.”

As the news broke, Member for Barker Tony Pasin expressed his concern at the situation.

“When the Federal Government announced an Urgent Care Clinic for Mount Gambier I welcomed the announcement just as any additional health service for the Limestone Coast should be welcomed,” he said.

“Reducing pressure on our emergency department sounds great in theory but in reality, without first addressing GP workforce shortages that are most acutely felt in the regions, staffing an urgent care clinic 14 hours a day was always going to throw up challenges, particularly when Labor themselves moved the goal posts to allow overseas trained GPs to move out of the regions into the outer suburbs of capital cities via changes to the under the distribution priority area classifications.

“In addition to workforce issues, general practices are small businesses who are being impacted by Labor’s cost of doing business crisis in the same way as other businesses across the country.”

Mr Pasin lashed out at the Federal Government, criticising the lack of support for doctors.

“Rather than asking why the Mount Gambier Urgent Care Clinic finds itself in this position, the question is what the Albanese Labor Government has done to support general practises such as Dr Try’s to keep their doors open and providing the primary health care residents of the Limestone Coast deserve,” he said.

Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell said the matter highlighted the need to attract more doctors to the region.

“The Urgent Care Clinic provided a vital service and was heavily relied upon by the community,” he said.

“Its closure will put additional strain on the Emergency Department and local medical clinics, which are already struggling to meet demand.

“This highlights the critical shortage of GPs in regional areas.

“Support for training and retaining future GPs is essential, and any assistance would be greatly valued.

“As a regional community, we must work together to offer incentives, such as housing, to attract and retain medical professionals in our area.”