Dunedin Hospital (file photo) Photo:
An Ōamaru business is running donation-based shuttle rides to Dunedin for cash-strapped patients struggling to get to hospital appointments, while St John examines the feasibility of providing a permanent service.
Hireplus owner Trevor Goodin was already making trips to Dunedin Airport but was now taking people to medical appointments in the city 110km away, after the Ōamaru Dunedin Shuttle stopped in March.
Goodin said some people had considered cancelling their appointments because they could not drive or afford other taxi services, which in some cases could cost up to $300 return.
"People are trying to fund that out of their food bill or power bill and I just think that's horrendous for people who are already not very well," he said.
"I've had people ring me in tears because they didn't know where to go if I couldn't get them there. It's a dire situation, it's almost third-world."
Goodin said eligible patients could be reimbursed for transport costs, but elderly people often found the process too onerous.
Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher said people were missing out on healthcare because of transport problems.
"Ratepayers here have put off appointments, or at least postponed them, some have missed them altogether just because they haven't been able to afford the cost," he said.
"When it comes to whether people can afford to put the heater on in winter time or go to an appointment, they're making that choice. It's terrible."
A St John spokesman said it was examining the viability of establishing a health shuttle in Ōamaru, but it could take at least a year for a service to be up and running.
Kircher said his council was also in talks with Otago Regional Council about a public transport shuttle between Ōamaru and Dunedin.
A University of Otago study last year found mortality rates were 21 percent higher in rural areas than in urban centres, he said.
"It's things like these barriers that add to that statistic and anything we can do to lower that risk is obviously going to be welcomed by our community," Kircher said.
"We're keen to see St John get their service up and running, that would provide some real security and affordability."
Door 2 Door Waitaki also offers rides to hospital appointments in Dunedin, priced from $42.50 one-way for total mobility card-holders.
Owner Annabel Denize said charges varied for people depending on the trip, but a full-price ride-share service cost $160 return, with carers or support people travelling for free.
"We have had a few people who've said, 'Gosh, that's a lot of money,' but if they're genuinely stuck I'm going to put them in the car anyway and bring them down for whatever they can cover. We've never said no to anybody.
"We don't want anyone to think they can't get to the hospital."
Denize encouraged people to check their eligibility for subsidies offered through the mobility card and the National Travel Assistance Scheme for patients who needed to travel long distances or frequently for specialist appointments.
Ultimately, she said St John should provide a health shuttle.
"The sooner that happens the better for us and everyone in Ōamaru. It's just going to give that peace of mind that there is a service there. We've been filling that gap and we're very happy to continue doing that."
'Really disappointing'
In North Canterbury, the absence of an after-hours clinic meant people who needed urgent medical care had to travel to Christchurch Hospital's emergency department or one of the city's clinics.
An after-hours centre was being built in Rangiora, but a three-year delay meant it was not expected to open until 2025.
Waimakariri National MP Matt Doocey said Te Whatu Ora confirmed residents' entitlement to taxi vouchers home from hospital at a public meeting in April, so he was concerned to learn some people were still missing out.
''It's really disappointing that we are constantly told by management in the hospital there are these vouchers, but I have constituents come to me time and time again saying that when they requested them, they were declined by front-line staff."
Doocey said he did not want patients waiting in bus shelters in the early hours of the morning or elderly people paying unaffordable taxi fares of between $80 to $130 to get home to North Canterbury.
National MP Matt Doocey sitting on Parliament's Health Select Committee Photo: Phil Smith
"It's heartbreaking, some of the stories, and really concerning that people are discharged at any time of the day or night and left to their own means to get home."
Te Whatu Ora said Waimakariri patients directed to the emergency department through the triage service or St John qualified for a taxi voucher home when they were discharged, if there were no other transport options available.
The health agency said ED staff were regularly updated about the criteria and process for issuing vouchers and encouraged patients to talk to them if they had transport concerns.