New Zealand’s new program, providing round-the-clock access to primary healthcare services, has gone live.
The 24/7 online general practice service, first announced in March and piloted in May, seeks to help relieve the overcrowding in emergency departments across the country.
The program taps three providers who offer 24/7 services: Bettr by Local Doctors and White Cross, Emergency Consult, and Tend. CareHQ, MedOnline, Pocket Lab, Practice Plus, and The Doctors Online have also been onboarded to provide online consultations for non-urgent conditions, such as common coughs and colds, allergies, and stomach flu. These providers can also issue prescriptions, laboratory referrals, and medical certificates.
“This is about making sure Kiwis can get the medical help they need when they need it, especially when they can’t get a timely appointment with their regular GP, or outside normal clinic hours,” said Health Minister Simeon Brown in a statement.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
The 24/7 digital service is part of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand’s Primary Care Tactical Action Plan, which was allotted NZ$447.6 million ($265 million) in funding over four years under Budget 2025.
The government is also setting up a new digital service dedicated to primary mental health and addiction. In June, it awarded NZ$1.97 million ($1.2 million) in state funding over two years to Tend to deliver the new service, which aims to help people who are not enrolled in a GP or having trouble accessing GP services receive better access to primary mental health support.
Meanwhile, the telehealth service is also one of the first use cases of the upcoming Shared Digital Health Record system, which will provide a consistent, consolidated view of nationally available clinical data and existing shared digital health records. Initially set to launch ahead of the 24/7 online GP program last month, the project’s timeline has been pushed back to later this year, given more work needs to be done, including onboarding of healthcare providers and advising patients about data collection.
