Political debate on fixing Aotearoa New Zealand’s broken funding model for primary health care is an important first step but needs a bipartisan approach, NZNO says.

The Labour Party today announced a policy to provide all New Zealanders three free GP visits a year, funded through the introduction of a capital gains tax on property.

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO primary care spokesperson Tracey Morgan says Labour’s policy acknowledges what all New Zealanders already know and Te Whatu Ora’s own review found around cost barriers and inequitable access to GPs.

"Funding for primary and community health care is completely broken. It can cost up to $100 to see a doctor and patients are likely to have to wait weeks for an appointment.

"Skyrocketing fees are pushing doctor visits out of reach for many whānau, the working poor and now - because of the cost of living crisis - even the middle class. New Zealanders are turning up sicker at our hospital Emergency Departments needing even greater care.

"For years GPs have had to absorb underfunding through the capitation system which leaves them no choice but to raise their fees to enable their practices to remain financially viable.

"It has also meant the wages of nurses have slipped further and further behind their hospital counterparts, leading many to leave the primary and community sector for better paid jobs or to work in Australia," she says.

Tracey Morgan says Labour’s policy is a welcome first step in a national discussion around the funding of primary care.

"However, there needs to be a bipartisan conversation around the need for a sustainable funding model that addresses affordability and access issues in primary care. Otherwise the health outcomes of every day New Zealanders will continue to deteriorate while health policy remains a political football," she says.