Two local residents, who did not want to be named, experienced separate medical emergencies last weekend, but were forced to look for help elsewhere after being quoted exorbitant fees.
Wānaka Medical Centre (WMC) provides an on-call service from 6pm-11pm, whereas overnight services are provided by Central Otago Health Services Limited (COHSL), which operates and manages Dunstan Hospital, from 11pm-8am.
A former ambulance officer said he called early Sunday morning requiring medical help but was quoted $700 for a 15-minute consultation when they phoned the medical centre.
Wānaka residents say the Wānaka Medical medical fees are exorbitantly high. Photo / File
“They gave me three options - I could see him and pay the fee, I could go to the A&E in Queenstown, but for my situation, they’d probably fly me out anyway, or I could call an ambulance,” he said.
“I waited a couple of hours, but the pain got worse. So, I called the ambulance, explained the situation, and was flown to Dunedin.
“It’s even worse for families who can’t afford those fees. They might hesitate to call the doctor in the future because of the cost, and that’s where the real problem lies.”
The man had worked with the ambulance service in Wānaka, and had never encountered such high fees for after-hours care.
Another resident, whose Australian in-laws were visiting, shared a similar experience when they sought medical advice for a possible deep vein thrombosis (DVT) at 8pm on Saturday night.
She said they were told a 15-minute consultation would cost $500, though they would likely need to be at the centre for over an hour, which could cost upwards of $1000.
“We ended up deciding not to go in and waited it out. Thankfully, it wasn’t life-threatening.
“It really makes you think, people in potentially life-threatening situations are having to ask themselves, ‘Can we afford this?’”
Wānaka Medical’s general manager Michael James said the centre operates an after-hours service shared with Aspiring Medical, with calls initially triaged by Ka Ora Telecare.
James did not address the sums claimed by the weekend clients in the centre’s initial response to the Herald.
“Our after-hours consult rate is based on how much time the clinician spends with the patient, whether on the phone or in person. For enrolled patients, it’s $280 per 30 minutes for those over 21 years old, and $220 per 30 minutes for 14 to 20-year-olds,” he said.
Children under 14 are seen free of charge.
James said the clinic aims to be upfront about pricing.
“We ask all our clinicians to explain the cost before the patient is seen, but we acknowledge that occasionally this might not be as transparent as it could be.”
“The government talks about tax cuts, but those cuts create funding shortfalls elsewhere.
“Rural areas like ours always get the short end of the stick because we’re so far from medical help. We end up paying higher costs, and it shouldn’t be that way.”
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora living well director Martin Hefford said work was being completed as part of Health New Zealand’s national urgent care work programme to drive more nationally consistent fees, subsidies, and co-payments.
The goal was to “ensure equitable access while maintaining high-quality care”.
“We are also exploring mechanisms to provide clearer and more consistent information on fees and co-payments,” he said.
He said Health NZ recognised the need for clear and predictable pricing in healthcare, and that while private medical centres set their own fees, Health NZ’s goal was to support a system where pricing was transparent.
“We are aware that after-hours fees vary across regions due to differences in operating costs, funding arrangements, and service availability.”
He said Health NZ’s Primary Health Organisation (PHO) Services Agreement regulates in-hours fees, but does not directly regulate after-hours fees set by private providers.
