Healthcare

Compared to many countries, New Zealand has a very good public health system.

You will have to pay for routine visits to the doctor or dentist, but there are subsidies for children, the elderly and for people on lower incomes. The public health system provides for more expensive services such as hospital treatment.

Publicly funded health services include:

• Free public hospital treatment
• treatment at public hospital 24-hour accident and emergency (A&E) clinics
• Subsidies on prescription items
• Subsidised fees for visits to general practitioners (GPs)
• Subsidised fees for visits to physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths when referred by a GP
• Free or subsidised health care for those suffering from acute or chronic medical conditions
• No charge for most laboratory tests and x-rays, except at privately operated clinics
• No charge for health care during pregnancy and childbirth, unless provided by the private medical sector
• No charge for GP referrals to a public hospital for treatment
• Free prescription medicines for all public hospital patients
• Subsidies for children under six for visits to the doctor and for prescriptions
• Free basic dental care for all school children

Your first point of contact with the health system will probably be your GP (General Practitioner), also known as your family doctor. New Zealand has about 3,200 GPs. They are located in almost every city, suburb and town throughout the country.

New Zealand has 85 public hospitals, including some with specialised facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities.

With minor exceptions, such as some kinds of cosmetic surgery, hospital treatment is provided free of charge. Nobody can be refused emergency care because they cannot pay. If they are not a New Zealand resident, they may have to pay for some services. Waiting times for essential surgery vary from hospital to hospital. If your case is urgent, you will be put on an urgent waiting list.

Many New Zealanders have elected to take out private health insurance because it provides access to private hospitals for the immediate treatment of non-urgent conditions.