Child health services

As your child grows and develops, they will come into contact with a variety of different health services and professionals.

We provide here some basic information on primary health services for children in New Zealand.
 

Free health care

Most health services for children are free. These include:

  • free regular Well Child-Tamariki Ora health checks
  • free immunisations
  • many prescriptions for children under six years
  • free dental care until they turn eighteen
  • free vision and hearing testing
  • treatment in a public hospital
  • children under six years get a $35 subsidy on visits to a GP.

Some services have to be paid for including orthodontic treatment.
Overseas visitors or students without permanent residency are not eligible for some public funded health services.
 

Well Child - Tamariki Ora

All preschool children in New Zealand should get regular health checks as part of the Well Child-Tamariki Ora programme. These checks are carried out by a doctor, nurse or midwife when your child is born and at the ages of one week, six weeks, three months, five months, nine months, fifteen months, two years, three years and five years. This last check is usually done when your child starts school.

Well Child-Tamariki Ora checks look at how your child is growing and developing, and check hearing, vision and immunisation. Details are recorded in your child's Well Child-Tamariki Ora book which you should get when your child is born.

The programme also provides information and advice to parents on keeping your child healthy.
 

Family doctor or GP services

The Government subsidises GP visits for children. For children under the age of six, the subsidy is $35 for each visit. Sometimes, this means the visit is free, but increasingly you may be charged a fee to cover the difference between the subsidy and the GP's own costs. This may be only $5 or as much as $15 for after hours service.

For children aged six and over the subsidy is:

  • $20 where the parent or caregiver holds a Community Services Card or a High Use Health Card (administered by the Department of Work and Income),
  • $15 in other cases.

As the GP fee is usually higher, you will have to pay the balance.

To find a good GP, ask family and friends if they can recommend one, or contact your local Plunket or Citizens Advice Bureau. Some organisations such as women's centres keep 'hot and cold registers' -- these do not make recommendations, but can pass on other people's comments about local doctors and health professionals.
 

Primary Health Organisations (PHOs)

As well as being cheaper, PHOs try to keep you well and/or treat you early in your sickness. You might see a nurse-practitioner, a Maori or Pacific health worker, a community health worker, a dietitian -- and/or you might see a doctor.

If you want to enrol ask your doctor if they are part of a local Primary Health Organisation (PHO) and if so, you will need to sign an enrolment form. You can only enrol in one PHO at a time, but you can change PHOs if you wish.
 

GP fees

It is not illegal for GPs to charge for a consultation with a child under six years old. There is no authority that regulates or decides what doctors can charge -- GP practices have to cover costs and fees and these are decided on the same commercial basis as any other service or trade. However, they should clearly display rates and charges. You should be told first if there will be an extra charge for your child, e.g. for a test, home visit or after hours consultation.

If you are charged a particularly high fee, you may want to talk to the GP concerned, or change to one that does not charge for under sixes. If you are unhappy with your child's GP, you are entitled to change to another.

If you want to complain about a GP, contact the Health and Disability Commissioner, call: 0800 11 22 33.
 

Prescriptions

Many prescriptions for children under six years old are free. For older children aged six to eighteen years old, you will be charged:

Children over sixteen years who are independent of adult care will be charged as an adult.

Most medicines are subsidised - you pay a prescription charge, not the actual cost of the drug. However, a non-subsidised or partly subsidised drug may be prescribed and you may have to pay extra.
 

Dental care

Routine dental care is provided free for your child until they turn 18. This includes regular check-ups and treatment. This is provided by a dental therapist or clinic or mobile unit at primary and intermediate schools and by participating dentists for secondary school students. To find out which dentists in your area provide free care, ring your local District Health Board, or phone individual dental practices.

If your child needs specialist dental care, they may be referred to a hospital dental service or dentist. You may have to pay for this depending on what treatment is needed and which dentist you use -- not all dentists take part in the government scheme that pays towards the cost of treating children, so check first.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to enrol your child in a dental clinic at around two years old. Ask your local Plunket nurse, health worker or primary school for advice.

Orthodontic treatment is not free and you are expected to pay all the costs.

There is no fee scale for dentists in New Zealand - how much you pay will depend on the treatment you need, material and laboratory charges and other costs. Ask about how much it will cost before starting treatment.
 

Optometrists & eye care

If your child complains they can't see properly, has problems reading the school blackboard, holds books very close, covers or squints one eye, blinks a lot when doing close work, rubs their eyes when reading, complains of seeing double or has a poor attention span, they may need their vision checked.

Well Child-Tamariki Ora checks include checking hearing and vision. If your health worker is concerned about your preschoolers vision, they may refer your child to an optometrist or an eye specialist at hospital - treatment will be free. If you go directly to an optometrist (without a referral) you may have to pay. Ask how much a consultation costs when you make an appointment.

If you receive a benefit, you may be able to get an advance to help you pay. If you have a Community Services Card and your child is under eight years old, you may be eligible for a glasses subsidy through Enable New Zealand. Ask your doctor or contact Enable New Zealand, call: 0800 171 995.

For school children, vision/hearing testers check their vision at school. If there is a problem, your child will be referred to the appropriate agency. Care (including optometrists) will usually be free.
 

Mental health services

Mental health services for children and young people up to 19 years old are provided free of charge. This includes assessment and treatment, crisis services, liaison and support for the family or whanau and services for children with special needs, such as attention deficit disorders.

Your child would normally be referred to specialist mental health services by your GP or health worker.
 

Giving consent for your child's health care

In most cases you will be asked to give parental consent to medical treatment if your child is under the age of sixteen. As your child grows in maturity, it is important that you involve them in any decisions.

If your child is over sixteen they can consent to their own health care. There are some exceptions relating to children under the age of 16 years where parental consent is not required:

  • children under sixteen can consent to their own contraceptive advice and treatment, and to abortion
  • blood transfusions in certain circumstances
  • to examine a child on a court order where abuse or neglect is suspected - the child is entitled to have an adult present during the examination
  • where the court, social services or Child, Youth and Family have been made the child's guardian
  • where a child is examined at school or an early childhood education service by someone authorised to do so under the Health Act 1956.


Health records

Under the Health Information Privacy Act 1994, you do not automatically have access to your children's health records. You do have the right to ask to see them though.

The health service who holds the records must then decide whether or not you are requesting them in your own interest or the child's best interest and can refuse to provide information if they believe it is not in the child's best interests.

If you do not agree with the reasons why you have been refused, you may choose to complain to the Privacy Commissioner.
 

For more information contact:

  • your GP, nurse or Well Child-Tamariki Ora health worker
  • your local Plunket Centre
  • Healthline 0800 611 116 - a 24 hour national health advice service staffed by registered nurses
  • Starship Hospital Family Information Service - provides free information about children and young people's medical conditions. Call: 09 307 4955
  • Enable New Zealand - provides information on disabilities, equipment, health services and support for those with disabilities. Call: 0800 171 995
  • Allergy Awareness information line, call: 0800 340 800
  • Diabetes NZ - provides support and educational services for those with diabetes. call: 0800 342 238
  • Epilepsy NZ - provides information and support for those with epilepsy and their families. Call: 0800 20 21 22
  • Canteen - supports and empowers teenagers living with cancer. Call: 0800 226 8336
  • Health and Disability Commissioner - deals with complaints about health and disability services. Call: 0800 1122 33 .


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