One of Winnipeg’s QuickCare Clinics is closing. The Manitoba government has approved the closure of the QuickCare Clinic at 17 St. Mary’s Rd.

It comes following complaints QuickCare Clinics in Winnipeg haven’t always been open during regular hours due, in part to a shortage of nurse practitioners working in the clinics.

Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said the decision was made following a recommendation from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to let the lease on the clinic expire.

Goertzen said he accepted the recommendation based on information the St. Mary’s clinic was underutilized.

"This government was elected to improve health care services for Manitobans, by closing a clinic we think they’re moving in the wrong direction,” said NDP health critic Matt Wiebe. "To say that the solution to staffing issues is to close clinic, is to actually close a facility, is just moving in the wrong direction."

Manitoba Government and General Enployess' Union president Michelle Gawronsky said the clinic's closure comes as a complete shock. 

Three of its members work as primary care assistants at the St. Boniface location.  MGEU said there will be no job losses.  The WRHA said it will find vacant positions for the workers at other QuickCare Clinics, but Gawronsky said the closure will have a broader impact.

Jeanette Edwards, regional director of primary health care, said the WRHA doesn't have immediate plans to close any more clinics. 

Edwards said the WRHA experienced vacancies in QuickCare Clinics because so many were opened in such a short period of time.

"It has been clear for some time that a change needed to be made in order to best serve Winnipeggers accessing QuickCare Clinics," said Edwards. "It has been challenging to recruit sufficient numbers of nurse practitioners to staff six clinics which has resulted in closures and inconsistency of access."

"When the lease came up for renewal the decision to move towards closing this location now was practical from a property management perspective."

The previous NDP government opened the first QuickCare Clinic in 2012 in an effort to prevent people going to emergency rooms with minor health issues.

Last month, the WRHA told CTV News keeping all QuickCare Clinics in the city fully staffed and running on standard hours has been a challenge. The WRHA’s QuickCare Clinic manager said the clinics have a capacity for 24 full-time nurse practitioners, but in December, only 13 were on staff.

READ MORE: Health minister wants task force to examine QuickCare Clinics

“You wouldn’t go to a restaurant if it was closed 30 per cent of the time and you wouldn’t probably go to a QuickCare Clinic that was closed 30 per cent of the time,” said Goertzen.

“We’re hopeful this will stabilize the other QuickCare Clinics and have them open on a regular basis and the rotation of closures will now cease.”

The health minister said the move will result in a savings of around $80,000 annually.

“We didn’t look at it just from a savings perspective, although that is important,” said Goertzen. “Every dollar has to be used well, but when a facility was underutilized and you could make the other facilities better and more consistent and more predictable in terms of the hours, it made sense.”

Edwards said the clinics have helped cut down on the number of visits to ERs for non-urgent care. 

The WRHA hopes people who relied on the St. Mary's Road QuickCare Clinic location can seek care at private clinics and WRHA ACCESS Centres.

After the St. Mary’s clinic closes, there will be five QuickCare Clinics remaining in Winnipeg. Steinbach has a QuickCare Clinic, and so does Selkirk.