Burketown Primary Health Clinic

Burketown is in the heart of the Gulf country on the Albert River, about 25 kilometres from the Gulf of Carpentaria. Located in a remote setting, road access to Mount Isa and Cloncurry is restricted during wet season closures, although an all-weather airport provides regular scheduled services to Mount Isa and Cairns. 

Approximately 240 people live in Burketown and the surrounding areas. The Traditional Custodians of the area are the Waanyi people. During winter months the population can increase significantly with ‘grey nomads’ and holiday makers. In total, over 40 per cent of the local population identify as Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Burketown Primary Health Clinic is a Level 1 facility under the Rural and Remote Clinical Services Capability Framework. The service provides low-risk ambulatory care provided by nursing, administration and operational staff. The Burketown Primary Health Clinic encompasses a nurse-led and visiting Medical Officer model of care.

The facility provides: 

• a nurse-led 24-hour acute and emergency on-call service with a hospital-based ambulance
• coordination and care for specialist services, chronic disease management and stabilisation of acute care patients prior to transfer to a higher-level facility
• pharmacy services, antenatal and postnatal care and community home visits

The Royal Flying Doctor Service provides a weekly General Practitioner clinic and fortnightly child health clinic.

Visiting services include allied health services, Mobile Women’s Health, Indigenous Cardiac Outreach Program, endocrinology, diabetes nurse practitioner, ophthalmology and breast screening.