Home > Our Publications > New Zealand Outlook > 2002 > May

THE Government is pressuring doctors to provide free visits for children but not giving them enough money to do it, a Dunedin health consultant says.
Health Minister Annette King announced the subsidy paid to doctors for children's visits would rise from $32.50 to $35 a visit from July 1.
This is an adjustment for inflation since the subsidy was introduced in 1997.
The move was expected to cost up to $8 million and was aimed at trying to retain free consultations for children, she said.
Dr Conway Powell, a health sector management consultant, said the increase "in no way matches inflation over the last five years".
The Government was putting unreasonable pressure on general practitioners to provide free visits. It was trying to convince the public, in an election year, that children's visits should be free while failing to recompense GPs.
Visiting a Dunedin GP costs about $40, less than in many other centres, and fees would continue rising as costs increased. GPs should not have to charge adults more to subsidise children's free visits or subsidise the visits themselves, Dr Powell said.
Some GPs charge the difference between the existing subsidy and their standard fee for children's visits.
Dunedin Urgent Doctors and Accident Centre manager Ewan McComb said the centre charged $10 for children's visits, compared to its standard daytime fee of $43.50 and night-time fee of $56.
Dr John McLeod, of Musselburgh Medical Centre, said its fees recently increased to $45 but the part-charge for children remained at $5. Doctors used their discretion, probably charging $5 for about half the children's visits, and would probably continue doing that.
"We try to keep the goodwill going but things get a bit tough when you've got to pay your bills too."
A study found GPs often charged just enough to cover expenses and some struggled to make ends meet. Most GPs earned much less than $100,000 a year and at least one earned just $14,000 after expenses.

.