Brunswick Betta Health

Moving close to the city from a land Far Far Away (also known to some as the South East Suburbs) there are a few things that you notice that are not quite the same. Most shops aren’t open late on a Thursday night and a bulk billing Medical Clinic is almost non-​existent. Now, I’m more than happy to give up these things to have a bar/​café/​restaurant/​gallery/​market/​community garden on every other corner, but it’s always nice to not have to pay to visit a doctor so when I discovered Brunswick Betta Health I quickly booked in to get that pesky cough checked out that I had been putting off for over a week.
It’s a big clinic! There were at least eight doctors working on the morning I came in and it seems like there are offices tucked away all over the place. You can make a game out of guessing which side of the waiting room your name will get called from! The waiting room was packed when I got here, and I was early for my appointment so I settled down and prepared to have enough time to right several dozen Unilocal reviews, only to have my name called immediately! I was in, checked out, and back outside all before my actual appointment time!
I’m sure it gets insanely busy in here, you’re bound to not have my luck and the doctors all seem to want to get you in and out as soon as possible, but at least you don’t have to pay!

Living in the middle of the city means there are limited options for bulk-​billing clinics and doctors. Betta Health is a short drive or tram ride out of the city, and it does the job.
There are usually longish wait times regardless of time of day, even if you have made a booking. On weekends the wait can be hours long. Be prepared and bring a book or charge up your smartphone!

So, my friend told me about this Bulk Billing Clinic in Brunswick (and the thought of not paying for a doctor was unfathomable to me coming from the western state) so i came and saw a doctor here today.
I called ahead and made an appointment and was told 3:20pm was the time to come in. I arrived around 10 minutes early and was greeted and signed up (as a new patient) and awaited my doctor.
I was only waiting 10 minutes before the doctor came and took me into his office. The doctor himself was a tad rushed and it felt like he just wanted me to hurry up and get out of there.
I was prescriped some meds and sent away. Didn’t have to pay a thing so yippee for me!

Betta Health Brunswick is my default walk-​ins GP clinic. It accepts walk-​ins until about 4pm, but it’s always a long wait in rather uncomfortable chairs. This is also sometimes the case even when you’ve booked an appointment ahead. It’s a big clinic with lots of doctors, so it tends to be very busy and there’s usually a mum or two trying to calm down their sick children. But hey, it’s all par for the course with bulk billing GPs.
The receptionists can seem a little run off their feet at times and as such there can be a wait to register your attendance, but they certainly know what they’re doing. The doctors vary in efficiency and temperament, so it’s hard to generalise the actual medical side of things, but I’ve experienced both dismissive and very patient and caring treatment at this practice.
There’s also access to the adjacent pharmacy, and the hours are much later than most, so it’s easy to fit an appointment around work schedules. Being on Sydney Rd, it’s also easy to catch public transport there, with the tram stop located directly across the road. l.

Being a poor, twenty-​something living in the inner suburbs of Melbourne I often don’t have the money to spend on «luxuries» such as a Doctor. So instead, I am the Queen of bulk-​billing and Betta Health is my clinic of choice.
Generally the biggest problem with bulk-​billing clinics is the painfully long wait to get in and see a Doctor — the few times I have ventured to Betta Health (I’m generally a very healthy human being) I have not had to wait long at all.
The Doctor’s are kind and understanding, especially considering the hours they work, and they will cure you and cure you fast! The pharmacy right next door makes life very easy and the tram out the front means you can drag your sick arse home quickly and get back in to bed!