Māori Party celebrates free doctors visits and medicines for Under 13s

The Māori Party is proud that from tomorrow, all whānau will be able to take their babies and children under 13 to the doctors for free and get free prescription medicines.

“This is an awesome gain for whānau and shows the benefit of having the Māori Party as a support partner in Government, as it was the Māori Party that secured this gain in Budget 2014,” says Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell.

While the announcement to provide free GP visits and prescriptions were announced in last year’s Budget, the policies take effect from 1 July 2015.

It is estimated that over 400,000 children will benefit from these policies including 189,000 tamariki Māori.

Māori Party Co-leader Marama Fox says, “Being able to take tamariki to the doctor for free and have the cost of medicines covered will take some of the stress off whānau. We’d like to see this policy extended to all tamariki and taiohi under the age of 18,, but it’s a significant improvement on what we have had previously”.

Marama Fox is on the Ministerial Committee on Poverty which was initiated by the former Māori Party Co-leader Dame Hon Tariana Turia and Deputy Prime Minister Hon Bill English.

“Through our involvement on the Ministerial Committee on Poverty, we’ve lobbied for much greater support for all whānau in hardship, particularly those with tamariki.

“In this year’s budget we’re proud to have been instrumental in securing $790 million to lift the core benefit levels for beneficiaries with tamariki. This is the first increase in core benefit levels for more than forty years and it’s all due to the Māori Party”, says Mr Flavell.

Mrs Fox says the Māori Party remains resolute in its advocacy for whānau and will continue to work with the Government to achieve better outcomes.

ENDS

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