Greens wrong on free GP visits for under 13s

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye say the Greens have got it wrong on free under 13s doctor visits.

“We expect levels of uptake by general practices of the free under 13s scheme to be similar to uptake of the under 6s scheme,” says Dr Coleman.

“Currently 98 per cent of general practices offer free doctors’ visits for under 6s. Initial uptake was 70 per cent in January 2008, and it has steadily increased to current levels. There are only around twelve general practices in New Zealand that are not offering free under 6s doctor visits.”

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye says following consultation, ACC’s additional contribution to GPs to encourage them to provide free visits for under 13s was increased to $27.5 million over three years.

“Similar to the general practice uptake of the under 6s scheme, we expect the number of GPs providing free injury-related visits to steadily increase over time,” says Ms Kaye.

“We want as many children as possible to access free visits, and that’s what the scheme will help deliver.

“More than 400,000 primary school-aged children and their families are expected to benefit from the Government’s investment in free under 13s.”