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The Salvation Army is scheduled to test a free general clinic in West Auckland because it says there is immediate demand.
The report on the state of the Salvation Army communities was presented to Parliament this morning.
Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly
He holds the clinic once a week during the month of July at the Waitákere Center of the Army.
This is a first for the Salvation Army.
Community Department Director Jono Bell said that there were many vulnerable people who did not receive medical care and who suffered from it.
He said the clients told them that there were two main reasons preventing them from accessing medical care.
"One is the lack of transportation but also the cost, especially for adults.An adult in seven, through research, gives up consulting a GP and considers that the cost is prohibitive for people."
Bell said unhealthy housing and poor heating are often the cause of illness and people do not always consult a doctor when they should.
"Poor quality housing does not get the nutritious food it needs because of the cost, and all of this has an impact on their health and its ongoing effects on the education of children and their social well-being."
Bell said the Salvation Army will be looking closely at the pilot's behavior before deciding on his next step.
"We are very interested to see how that will happen."
The problem of access to free medical care is not isolated from Waitákere because it is a national problem, he said.
The GP of the free clinic will be able to see 12 people a day.
Mr. Bell said that he was not very busy.
"We want to meet the needs of the most needy people and will also continue to support people, to advocate for them to get other services, but we are just testing them and we really need to take it. advantage over those who need it most, "he said.
Mr. Bell stated that the Salvation Army had heard about the need for (free) family doctor services and people without access to basic health care.
"This is not only isolated in Waitākere."
Waitākere is one of the busiest centers in the army.
"Our front-line staff explained the need for GP services, so we decided, given the high demand, that it was a good place to start and experience that."
Mr. Bell said the message was that things were not getting easier for people.
"The government is doing a good job, paying for winter energy for example, trying to reduce poverty, but it's just not enough and it does not necessarily target people who need it most ".
Bell said the lawsuit cost the Salvation Army, as it does for all its services.
The Salvation Army is counting on donations from the public to provide these essential services to 120,000 people each year, he said.
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