The Labour Party recently announced a policy to provide all New Zealanders three free GP visits a year, funded through the introduction of a capital gains tax on property.
Morgan says Labour’s policy acknowledges what all New Zealanders already know and Te Whatu Ora’s own review found around cost barriers and inequitable access to GPs.
‘Right now, I’m dealing with a measles outbreak. The two big parties led by Chris Luxon and Chris Hipkins — the two Chrises — don’t need to be BFFs but they do need to get their A into G, even if health funding is the one thing they work together on, or more kids, more people will get sick of things that are preventable.’
“Funding for primary and community health care is completely broken. It can cost up to $100 to see a doctor and patients are likely to have to wait weeks for an appointment.
“Skyrocketing fees are pushing doctor visits out of reach for many whānau, the working poor and now — because of the cost-of-living crisis — even the middle class. New Zealanders are turning up sicker at our hospital emergency departments needing even greater care.
“For years GPs have had to absorb underfunding through the capitation system which leaves them no choice but to raise their fees to enable their practices to remain financially viable.
“It has also meant the wages of nurses have slipped further and further behind their hospital counterparts, leading many to leave the primary and community sector for better paid jobs or to work in Australia,” she says.
Morgan says Labour’s policy is a welcome first step in a national discussion about the funding of primary care.
“However, there needs to be a bipartisan conversation around the need for a sustainable funding model that addresses affordability and access issues in primary care. Otherwise, the health outcomes of every day New Zealanders will continue to deteriorate while health policy remains a political football.
“Right now, I’m dealing with a measles outbreak. The two big parties led by Chris Luxon and Chris Hipkins — the two Chrises — don’t need to be BFFs but they do need to get their A into G, even if health funding is the one thing they work together on, or more kids, more people will get sick of things that are preventable.”