THE federal government has scrapped the $15 million Wynnum Manly GP Super Clinic (GPSC) plan.

Construction was due to begin in Wynnum West by mid-2015.

A spokesman for Federal Minister for Health Peter Dutton’s office said the program was a mess left by Labor.

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“The program was never targeted at areas of need but rather at Labor’s political needs in marginal seats,” he said.

“Labor pumped money into this program while pulling funding from other areas of health.”

He said GPSCs “cannibalised existing doctors practices” and years after they were promised some were still not open and others inappropriately staffed.

“The government is committed to returning funding to frontline service,” he said.

Wynnum Manly Super Clinic Group director Dr Bruce Willett said the decision was regrettable.

“We felt we had come up with a formula that substantially improves on the previous super clinic models,” he said.

“We were notified a couple of weeks ago that the project has been suspended with the view of winding it up, which they can do under the ­contract.”

The group had acquired land in Wynnum West for the GPSC.

Dr Willett said the land would be sold and the proceeds of the sale would go back to the Commonwealth.

A spokesman from the Australian Government ­Department of Health said the GPSC was still in the ­planning stage and there were no figures available for the scale of the services it would have provided to the community.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said he supported his government’s decision to scrap the Wynnum Manly GP Super Clinic.

“The reality is four years have passed without anything to show (for) Labor’s proposed GP Super Clinic,” Mr Vasta said.

He said in 2011, the then-Shadow Health Minister Peter Dutton met with bayside GPs who feared the GPSC would drive them out of business.

“Since coming to office, Health Minister Peter Dutton has made it clear primary health care is a priority for our government and it will work to strengthen frontline services.” he said.

State Member for Lytton Neil Symes said the GPSC was federally funded and would not affect the State Government’s plans for the Wynnum Community Health Precinct.

Metro South Health chief executive Dr Richard Ashby confirmed this.

Brisbane City Councillor Peter Cumming (Wynnum Manly ward) said the decision was a disgrace.

He said more GPs were needed in Wynnum Manly to respond to the growing population.

“There are too many local GPs where new patients can’t go because they’ve closed their books,” he said.

He said it was another blow for a community still reeling from the downgrading of the Wynnum Hospital to the Wynnum Primary Care Unit and the closure of the Moreton Bay Nursing Care Unit.

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