Maternity care
Care during pregnancy and childbirth is provided free. This covers everything from the diagnosis of pregnancy to pre- and post-natal care for mother and baby. You can choose to have your baby at home, although most babies are born in hospital. There is no charge for public hospital stays for those who qualify. Women who have miscarriages are also cared for without charge.
Who looks after you?
Most women are cared for throughout their pregnancy and at the birth by an independent midwife, though some women choose a local maternity hospital, or a General Practitioner (GP) who provides maternity care.
Women needing specialist care can choose to be referred to a free hospital clinic or to a private specialist.
You can find a list of GPs and midwives under ‘Registered Medical Practitioners & Medical Centres’ in the front of the White Pages. A Maternity Helpline is also available – call 0800 686 223.
Family planning
Family planning services are often provided by GPs before pregnancy and by midwives after the birth of a child. Most towns have Family Planning Association clinics which provide advice to single and married people, regardless of whether they are parents or not. The Government helps with the costs of these services which are provided free of charge to people under 22 years and for a small fee to Community Services Cardholders. Approved abortions are free.
Further information
www.hdc.org.nz – the Health and Disability Commissioner is an independent agency dealing with patient rights.
www.healthed.govt.nz offers easy access to popular brochures on health matters.
www.health.govt.nz – the Ministry of Health website offers information about all areas of the public health system. It includes links to District Health Board websites where you can find out more the services available in your area.
