New Zealand Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced a new 24/7 telehealth service to expand access to primary care amid the overcrowding of emergency departments. 

The government will invest in the new service, which is expected to “provide all New Zealanders with better access to video consultations with New Zealand-registered clinicians, such as GPs and nurse practitioners.” 

It will also enable GPs and nurses to issue prescriptions and make referrals for laboratory tests.

According to Te Whatu Ora, the 24/7 telehealth service is set for launch in July. 

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Minister Brown revealed the new digital healthcare service alongside the announcement of various initiatives to expand primary care access, including NZ$285 million ($163 million) investment in general practice over three years, placement of overseas doctors, and incentives for primary care providers to recruit nurses. 

“We are already investing record funding into healthcare, but many New Zealanders are still finding it too hard to get an appointment with their GP, which is putting pressure on our emergency departments,” the Health minister noted. 

The upcoming launch of a new telehealth service also comes as New Zealand’s Health Quality and Safety Commission recently concluded that telehealth has not yet proven to be a sustainable solution to care access in the country. In its investigation into the quality and safety implications of telehealth, the commission also found that the digital service never became popular in New Zealand in the first place, even during the pandemic. 

Prior to the release of the commission’s report, the government had pulled funding for some free telehealth services, including COVID-19, as part of changes to the pandemic response and cost-cutting measures.