Eligibility for Publicly Funded Health and Disability Services

Hospital Visits

You will always be received as a patient if you need acute or emergency care and go to a hospital. The following publicly funded services are free of charge for eligible people:

inpatient and outpatient treatment at a public hospital
X-rays and laboratory tests carried out in public hospitals.

In some hospitals you may be expected to pay for GP-level care at an emergency department (ED).

Being eligible for elective health services (services which are not urgently required and that you may have to wait some time for) means that you have the right to be considered to receive a particular health service. Medical specialists make the final decision about what treatment you should receive based on priority access criteria.

Find contact details for your local District Health Board hospital.

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Page last updated: 20 November 2008