Emergency clinics in gun over surcharges

Elizabeth Antonio (left) and her daughter Jordyn Antonio-Rooney. Photo / Supplied.

An Auckland mother is outraged that her daughter was "ripped off" by an accident and medical clinic charging $66 for straightforward treatment on Monday, a public holiday.

The Herald has been flooded with emails from readers angry at the surcharges at some cafes and restaurants, and at A&M clinics, on what are, for many businesses, the eight public holidays of this Christmas-New Year period.

Under the Holidays Act, when the four real holidays fall on weekends, employers can face extra labour costs on those days and the immediately following Mondays and Tuesdays, the holiday-transfer days.

There are generally no legal limits on private businesses' prices, although medical clinics part-funded by primary health organisations can be required to justify unusually large fee increases.

Eighteen-year-old Jordyn Antonio-Rooney saw a doctor at the White Cross Ponsonby A&M last Wednesday for treatment of a skin ulcer.

It was dressed, and she was told to return for re-dressing, which would cost $5 to $10, her mother, Elizabeth Antonio, of Ponsonby, said yesterday.

She returned on Friday, saw a doctor, had a new dressing applied and was charged $10.

She went back on Monday for a new dressing, although a swab was taken too.

She was charged $66 and told this was because it was a public holiday.

"It's totally unjustifiable and I'm disgusted," said Mrs Antonio, who had provided the money for her daughter's bill.

"I'm happy to pay for [A&M] service, rather than put pressure on the public system, but I don't expect them to rip me off. I feel completely ripped off - $66 to see the doctor for five minutes.

"My daughter didn't challenge them - she's only 18, she wouldn't, but as a mother I would have. I intend to take it up with them."

White Cross chief executive Alistair Sullivan was yesterday unaware of the case.

He said the chain had to charge higher rates on public holidays, including the transferred days, because it had to pay penal rates to employees.

Its fees vary depending on the time of day and other factors.

A standard medical consultation ranges from zero for children under 6 who are enrolled in certain primary health organisations, to $97 on public holidays for non-enrolled adults without a Community Services Card.

Dr Sullivan said White Cross received $700,000 as a taxpayer subsidy for practice nurse services, but one of the conditions was keeping clinics open for certain hours.

Public hospitals have attributed their high emergency department attendances in the holiday period partly to the high public holiday fees at A&Ms.

The auditor-general said last year DHBs needed to do more to reduce cost barriers to after-hours care.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said the Government was concerned about after-hours access in Auckland.

The region's DHBs and primary care providers were developing plans for a network of 10 clinics providing an "affordable and more accessible alternative to hospital emergency departments".