Write to your MP today using the letter template below

Instructions for patients:

1. Copy and paste this letter into an email.

2. Update the date, the name of your general practice you are enrolled in and put your name at the end of the letter

3. Find your local MPs name and email address from the New Zealand Parliament Members webpage - click here to access it. You can then copy and paste it into the letter below

4. Copy the Minister’s, MP’s and PHO email addresses and put them in the ‘to’ field in your email

5. Hit send.

Letter and details: 

<<XX date 2024>>

Dr Shane Reti, Minister of Health
By email: S.Reti@ministers.govt.nz

XX name, MP for XX electorate
By email: firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz

ProCare PHO
By email: communications@procare.co.nz

Dear Minister,

Re: fees uplift at General Practices

I am a patient at <<insert your practice name here>> in Auckland and I am writing to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the recent increase in fees at my enrolled general practice. As a constituent who relies on these essential health services, I find this increase to be burdensome, inequitable and unjust.

The timing of this fee increase is particularly troubling given the current economic climate and rising costs that families and households are facing. Many people are struggling, and an additional financial strain on essential healthcare services is the last thing our community needs.

General practices are a cornerstone of our healthcare system, providing critical care and preventative services that ensure the well-being of our community.

By raising general practice fees, many individuals and whānau, particularly those on fixed or lower incomes, are now going to find it increasingly difficult to access primary care services. This is highly likely to lead to poorer, more inequitable health outcomes and greater long-term costs for both individuals and the healthcare system as a whole – particularly at a secondary care level.

There is research to show that for every $1 spent in general practice, it saves between $13 and $15 in spending on secondary care. Therefore, I urge the government to urgently invest in primary care, rather than taking an ‘ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ approach to healthcare.

A sustainable healthcare system should include proper investment into general practice which includes providing realistic funding, thereby making primary healthcare accessible for all. Therefore, I urge you to reconsider the government’s funding decision and explore alternative solutions that do not place an additional burden on those who can least afford it.

Ensuring affordable access to general practice services is not just a matter of health; it is a matter of equity and social justice.

Please consider the voices of your constituents who are directly affected by this fee increase. I look forward to your response and hope that you will take swift action to address this issue.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.

Ngā mihi,

<<insert patient name>>