Wanganui residents who have to use the St John Ambulance service are set to face increased fees, and within two years will be paying the same rate as users across the rest of the country.
St John says the charges are being increased because the demand for the service is also increasing and its funding was not keeping pace with that demand.
The Ministry of Health funds part of the service but St John has to recover the rest of the amount using a system of patient part-charges.
The part-charge covers medical emergencies as well as accident-related injuries that are older than 24 hours and injuries that do not meet ACC criteria.
The part-charge in the Wanganui-Manawatu region is currently $61 but that will rise to $65 on April 1 this year. Twelve months later the charge will rise again to $75, with a final $13 increment lifting the part-charge to $88.