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Nearly one in two New Zealanders have now become part of the phenomenal success story of Primary Health Organisations (PHOs), says Georgina Beyer, MP for Wairarapa.
It is just a year today since the first PHOs were established in a ground-breaking Labour/Progressive Government initiative to improve primary health care. As of today, 1.7 million New Zealanders are getting first level health care from 47 PHOs, with more than 800,000 of them paying no more than $20 for a doctor visit.
A new PHO in the Wairarapa electorate is Tararua PHO in Dannevirke, catering to 15,431 patients.
Ms Beyer says PHOs are a real success story across the country; "Patients at most PHOs are benefiting by paying doctor's fees that can be less than half what they used to pay."
"I'm very encouraged by this beyond-expectations start to PHOs; it means we can expect to see more PHOs getting set up in the Wairarapa, in line with this Government's aim for all New Zealanders to progressively be able to enjoy the benefits now being delivered in primary health care," said Ms Beyer.
From October, all under 18 year olds enrolled at a PHO will receive free or low cost primary health care. From next January many older people with very poor health, as well as other people requiring high levels of care who are enrolled in PHOs, can also expect cheaper doctor visits.
"Initially the Government hoped that there'd be 300,000 New Zealanders on the books of PHOs at the end of the first year. Instead, the 13 new PHOs today bring the total to 1.7 m - nearly six times the forecast.
"But PHOs are doing a lot more than just saving dollars for patients. The initial PHOs were particularly targeted at low income/high need areas. 63% of the Pacific population, and high numbers of Māori, have enrolled even before today's new PHOs came into existence.
"We've long known that many people put off seeking health care because of the cost. Such delays often create more serious problems and end up putting further pressure and cost on our public hospitals," said Ms Beyer.
"Many PHOs are also beginning to provide a comprehensive range of primary health care services including immunisation, managing diabetes, family planning, sexual health services and programmes to reduce heart disease."
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