The cost of care: 36% of South Islanders putting off GP visits

Tuesday, 9 June 2026

The cost of a trip to the GP is such a worry that 36% of people surveyed in the South Island have put off scheduling appointments.

More than a third of South Islanders say they put off GP visits because of the cost, despite over half living with long-term conditions, according to a Stuff survey.

The study, carried out for the launch of a new Stuff health site, HealthStuff, asked 1480 New Zealanders about their health status, key medical concerns and confidence in access to care. Of those who took part, 355 were from the South Island.

Other reasons for putting off GP visits included uncertainty about whether a concern warranted a visit to the GP (23%), feeling the doctor “wouldn’t understand my needs” (18.4%), and lack of time (15.4%).

The high rate of putting off GP visits came despite more South Islanders living with long-term health conditions – 53.6% – than survey participants from other regions and the national average – 46%.

Of those living with long-term conditions, 10.5% said their condition limited their ability to carry out activities on a daily basis, compared to the national average of 9.7%.

Emergency department wait times were a huge concern for South Islanders in the HealthStuff survey.

The cost of a GP appointment was a barrier to accessing prescription medication for 25% of respondents, while difficulty getting a GP appointment was a problem for 20%.

The greatest health worry for South Islanders was general health and fitness (41.9%), followed by ageing and mental health and wellbeing (34.4%), and weight management (33.8%).

But on a national level, the main issues of concern were workforce shortages (58%), GP availability and wait times (54.5%), emergency department wait times (54.1%) and delays for surgery or procedures (48.5%).

Other health checks put off by South Island participants in the Stuff survey included regular dental check ups (31%), mental health support or counselling (20%), eye exams and prescription glasses (19.6%) and even diagnostic tests such as blood tests, X-rays or ultrasounds (12.6%).

A majority of respondents – 58% – did not have health insurance.

Angus Chambers, a GP at Riccarton Clinic and chair of General Practice Owners Association (GenPro), says GPs are very aware of the cost barrier to care, but rely on fees to remain viable as Government subsidies have not kept pace with inflation.

Riccarton Clinic GP and chair of General Practice Owners Association (GenPro) Dr Angus Chambers said GPs were very aware that cost was a barrier to care.

He said when people put off going to the GP, conditions can deteriorate and it is harder to “get things back under control”.

“We’re frequently seeing people who’ve had symptoms for a while and they could have done something about it earlier and we could have got onto it earlier, whether that’s [due to] cost or other factors.

“The research is pretty robust that people putting things off harms them.”

A shake-up in the funding system for GPs could see a freeze on GP fees for one year, and leave some better off but others worse off – and result in much higher fee hikes when the freeze ends.

The Government has increased funding to the sector by $76.2 million, or 6%, as part of a $120.6m package to primary health in the 2026 Budget.

The funding agreement, subject to final consultation with contracted providers, primary health organisations (PHOs) and Te Kāhui Hauora Māori PHOs, is expected to be finalised in two weeks’ time.

A revised capitation formula, which determines how funding is allocated, will be based on the number, age, gender, deprivation, rurality and number of health conditions of patients enrolled with GPs.

Chambers said when transitional funding finished, GPs who were receiving less capitation funding would need to recover the costs, which may lead to larger fee increases.

Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines says some mission clients cannot go to the doctor as they are in debt to their medical centre.

Te Aranga Health, a low cost practice in Wainoni, Christchurch, charges $19.50 for appointments but even this can be a struggle for its very high-needs patients, operations manager Zack Muher said.

“That doesn’t sound like much to many people, but when you are living hand to mouth and there are others in your whānau that need to be seen, that can really add up.”

Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines said the charity’s financial mentoring team and foodbank assessors say doctors’ fees are causing “considerable financial stress” for some people.

She said the cost of doctor’s fees was particularly hard for those on medical Jobseeker benefits, who are required to get medical certificates every three months, and working families on low incomes, who do not qualify for the community services card.

“For them, doctors’ bills can be a big problem to meet, especially if they have regular visits.”

Some clients could not go to the doctor because they owed too much in debt to their medical team, Haines said.

“For these people, we try to set up a regular weekly payment of $5 a week from their benefit to the medical centres to help pay off the debt so they can continue to get treatment.”

Mentors advised clients to set up a direct debit to their medical centre of $5 a week, to “smooth out the shock of a future doctor’s bill”.

The casual cost of $125 for an ambulance trip was a barrier to care for some people, Haines said.

“We encourage people who are likely to need an ambulance regularly to pay the annual membership fee to St John, which is much cheaper than paying $125 per trip for non-members.”

The annual membership fee is $70 for individuals, $96 for a couple and $115 for a household.