New Zealand First is proposing to extend free basic dental care for 18 to 25-year-olds, Community Service Card holders, and SuperGold Card holders, if it is re-elected.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters campaigning at Orewa Community Centre in Auckland on 25 September. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters today announced his party's Healthy Kiwis Package saying that investing in health and wellbeing will "reduce issues, and costs, down the track".
"Any responsible government will see that Kiwis are our country's greatest asset, so we need to invest in them," Peters says.
NZ First's 'Healthy Kiwis Package' commits to:
- Increasing Pharmac funding to 1.4 percent of GDP by 2023, in line with the OECD average.
- Expanding free basic dental care for 18 to 25-year-olds, Community Service Card holders and SuperGold Card holders.
- Providing a free annual eye check for over 65s
- $10 million towards free counselling sessions through I Am Hope
- Committed to funding the St John Ambulance Service as they have asked of the party
"New Zealand's Combined Pharmaceutical Budget has underperformed, funded to a level of 0.9 percent of GDP compared to our OECD partners. Increasing this funding will give Kiwis greater access to the medicines they need to be healthy," Peters says.
"We will establish a transparent annual medicines budget that includes new investment in community and hospital medicines to meet the OECD average of up to 1.4 percent of GDP by 2023. This new investment includes establishment of a specific rare disorder medicines fund of $30m per annum."
The expanded free dental care would include a yearly free check-up, x-ray and clean, and would be funded and provided at community-based dental facilities rather than overloading hospital services.