Are you eligible for publicly funded health and disability care?

Find out if you are eligible for publicly funded health and disability services.

Government funding of health and disability services means that eligible people may receive free inpatient and outpatient public hospital services, subsidies on prescription items and a range of support services for disabilities in the community.

If you have further questions you can phone the eligibility coordinator at:

Tauranga Hospital
07 579 8189

Whakatāne Hospital
07 306 0771

Receiving treatment

If you are not eligible for publicly funded health and disability services, you will still receive treatment, but you will have to pay for it.  If the treatment you require is not an emergency you may be asked to pre-pay for your care.

Knowing about your eligibility lets you make informed decisions about your health care, rather than getting an unexpected bill.  If you require hospital treatment - for example Maternity Services - it's important to find out what costs are involved so you can budget for them. 

Each patient must meet their own eligibility criteria. However, if you are receiving Maternity Services you may be able to gain eligibility through your husband or partner.

If you are not eligible we recommend you get health insurance. Hospital care can be extremely expensive.

Proof of eligibility

Checking people's eligibility is the responsibility of all health providers who provide publicly funded health and disability services.

When you visit Tauranga Hospital or Whakatāne Hospital you may be asked for proof of your eligibility.  If you haven't provided this previously please bring your passport, birth certificate or citizenship certificate with you.