White Cross Whangārei stops charging under 14s, Te Whatu Ora announces

White Cross Whangārei is no longer charging $49 minimum for under 14-year-olds medical care. Photo / Tania Whyte

Children under the age of 14 will now receive free consultations at White Cross as of today, due to further funding from Te Whatu Ora.

Danny Wu of Te Whatu Ora in Northland said the consultations would be free between 7.30am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and between 8am and 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.

This is in addition to existing free after-hours healthcare for children under 14.

About $600,000 has been invested to ensure healthcare remains free for all under-14s in Northland.

The changes come after White Cross came under fire for charging a minimum of $49 to whānau due to “unsustainable” funding.

White Cross had been negotiating with Te Whatu Ora since August 2022 for more funding, but White Cross said significant pressures led it to “regrettably” charge for child visits.

The healthcare provider wrote to Te Whatu Ora on June 28 to advise it would charge a co-payment of $49 for consultations during normal hours for children under 14.

Wu said the funding arrangement with White Cross would be reviewed on an annual basis.

One Whangārei mother said she was concerned the cost would cause more inequity issues in the town, which she noted was already struggling.

White Cross Whangārei is managed by the country’s largest privately-owned healthcare group, Tāmaki Health.

Tāmaki Health chief executive officer Dr Lloyd McCann said funding deficiency had left White Cross scrambling.

He said in-hours funding via the historic General Medical Services Subsidy (GMS) had not changed much since 2002, despite “immense” inflationary pressures over the last two decades.

Because White Cross is an Urgent Care Clinic, it didn’t receive capitation funding for enrolled patients during normal visiting hours, McCann said.