Jones MarciaThe New Zealand health care system is divided into two sectors:
Primary healthcare is primary health care, which is provided by general practitioners: GP – General Practitioner (analog of our therapist), nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, nutritionists, etc. The primary sector is chargeable for all patients, regardless of visa status (except for children under 13). If a patient qualifies for subsidized care, the cost of admission can be reduced by 50%.
Secondary healthcare is the care of highly specialized doctors, including hospitalization. This also includes maternity care. Specialist appointments and services provided by public health facilities are free of charge if the eligibility criteria for the subsidy are met.
Primary care is provided by a diagnostic general practitioner – GP General Practitioner, aka family doctor. The GP is the link between the patient and the health services. You should make an appointment to see a GP for any ailment. He conducts an initial examination, prescribes medication and, if necessary, refers the patient to a “narrow” specialist for further examination. Note that the appointment to specialists is not at the patient’s request, but at the discretion of the GP, and, most often, for this there must be sufficiently strong objective reasons, not just a feeling of indisposition. To get immediately to the necessary specialist is possible only paid in private clinics.
It is worth noting that the GP is a doctor, a broad profile, taking all the responsibility (with the resulting responsibilities and circumstances) about his patient, to him or her get the results of examinations of the patient, the notes of specialists on narrow problems. In other words, it is a kind of a personal physician, who guides a person and his health for years.
If the medical condition is serious enough, the GP will make an appointment to see a specialist. What is different is that the waiting time for an appointment can be several months. You can reduce the waiting time by using health insurance or paying for the appointment yourself. Typically, the cost of an initial examination will be NZ$150. You can also go to a private clinic. An appointment can cost you 300-500 NZ$, depending on the specialist.
Treatment is effective and the overall level of quality of medical services is high.
