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How general practice is funded in New Zealand

Laurence A Malcolm
Med J Aust 2004; 181 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06187.x
Published online: 19 July 2004

How general practice is funded in New Zealand depends upon an answer to the question “This week or next?”! General practice, and primary healthcare generally, is currently undergoing a revolution greater than anything since the early 1940s, when government funding of general practitioners was introduced. GPs then successfully argued for the “sacred” right to charge a fee commensurate with their services, making them unique compared with similar countries, including Australia. Substantial patient copayments resulted, rising at times to more than 80% of practice income.


  • Aotearoa Health, New Zealand.


Correspondence: 

Acknowledgements: 

I am grateful for comments on an earlier draft of this article from the Chairman of the NZMA, the CEO of the RNZCGP, staff of the Ministry of Health and two reviewers.

  • 1. Malcolm L, Wright L, Barnett P. The development of primary care organisations in New Zealand: a review undertaken for Treasury and the Ministry of Health. Wellington: Ministry of Health, 1999. Available at: www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_Index/Publications-Index (accessed Jun 2004).
  • 2. Malcolm L. Major inequities between DHBs in referred services expenditure: a critical challenge facing the primary health care strategy. N Z Med J 2002; 115: 1157.
  • 3. Malcolm L, Mays N. New Zealand’s independent practitioner associations: a working model of clinical governance? BMJ 1999; 319: 1340-1342.
  • 4. Coster G, Gribben B. Primary care models for delivering population-based health outcomes. Wellington: National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability, 1999.
  • 5. Malcolm L, Wright L, Barnett P, Hendry C. Clinical leadership and quality improvements in primary care organisations in New Zealand. Auckland: Clinical Leaders Association of New Zealand, 2002. Available at: www2.clanz.org.nz/downloads/ (accessed Jun 2004).
  • 6. The primary health care strategy. Wellington: Ministry of Health, 2001.
  • 7. Referred services management: building towards equity, quality and better health outcomes. Report of the Referred Services Group to the Ministry of Health. Wellington: Ministry of Health, 2002. Available at: www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_Index/Publications-Index (accessed Jun 2004).
  • 8. The future role of the divisions network. Report of the Review of the Role of the Divisions of General Practice. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2003.
  • 9. Malcolm L. Australian GPs are beginning battle faced by other countries. BMJ 2002; 325: 167.

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