The Servants Health Centre will be run by volunteer doctors, nurses, receptionists and helpers.
Founding member Dr John Arnold said some people were cutting back their paid work hours to help with the project, which has been in the planning process for three years.
"I personally have skills in healthcare, so I saw I didn't have to work full-time for money, but I could use part of my time to serve people."
For some people, the cost of between $25 and $45 to visit a doctor was prohibitive, Dr Arnold, who has been a GP in South Dunedin for 20 years, said.
"Every doctor has patients who run up a debt and then leave to go to a different doctor.
"Every doctor has patients who say they would have come, but it costs too much so they left it another couple of weeks.
"It happens quite a lot in South Dunedin, so I am well aware there is a need."
The centre would operate on a trust basis, and would not be screening the people they saw based on need.
"We are there to serve.
"We are not worried about people taking advantage, but we can only serve for so many hours a day."
It was difficult to predict demand, but if the centre became busy and people were using it out of convenience, rather than need, the doctors may have to suggest the patients go elsewhere, Dr Arnold said.
When setting up the centre, there had been some generous donations from different trusts and the centre would run on a combination of donations and Government funding - which all GPs receive - for every patient seen.
Most of the volunteers were united by their Christianity, he said.
The centre, near the corner of Moray Pl and Princes St, will be open Tuesdays to Fridays.
It will provide general practice care, maternity care and some counselling.
