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2.1 million New Zealanders are now enrolled with a Primary Health Organisation, with more than 1 million paying no more than $22 to visit their regular health provider.
Seven new PHOs come into existence today - in Dunedin, rural Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Western Bay of Plenty, North Waikato, and two in greater Auckland - bringing the total number to 53 across the country.
Wairarapa MP Georgina Beyer said Ministry of Health figures show the PHOs in the Mid Central District Health Board's area are now caring for 16,000 people.
PHOs are local organisations of health professionals implementing the Government's Primary Health Care Strategy through primary health care services.
Access PHOs target local populations with low average incomes and high health needs. For example, around 2/3 of the Pacific population, and high numbers of Māori, have enrolled even before today's new PHOs came into existence.
Patients with the Community Services Cards in north Wairarapa - which comes within Mid Central DHB - continue to receive subsidised health care from Tararua PHO, based in and around Dannevirke, with 16,000 registered patients.
"PHOs have been a huge success. The Government's initial hopes of 300,000 New Zealanders on the books of PHOs in the first year were exceeded six fold in July this year. With the seven new PHOs added today the total is now 2.1 million," said Ms Beyer.
"The young, the elderly and the chronically ill are the people who need primary health care the most - and the Government has made it cheaper and more accessible for them."
From 1 October, children and young people aged between 6 and 17 years and enrolled at Interim PHOs will be eligible for low patient fees.
From July 1 next year, all New Zealanders aged 65 and over and enrolled in a PHO can get low patient fees and pay only $3 for prescriptions.
Contact: Georgina Beyer 04 470 6682
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