Photo: 123rf
The government has a goal of 98 per cent of New Zealanders being able to access "in person" urgent and afterhours healthcare within a one hour drive from their home.
It's allocated $164 million over four years to expand services across the country. Now details of what and where those services will be have emerged. The range of care and opening hours are set out for large urban centres, smaller city services, rural centres and remote areas. There will 21 large urban centres in the North Island, two in the South Island; five smaller city clinics in the North, and six in the South.
The Royal College of Urgent Care is pleased at the planned extension of afterhours care, but has expressed reservations over workforce numbers and funding. Kathryn talks to Kelvin Ward, Chair of Royal NZ College Urgent Care and Medical Director at the Wellington Accident and Urgent Medical Centre.
