So, here in Chch, there is a privately owned facility for after hours care and being new to the NZ health care system, I'm trying to understand why someone would use this service, giving the following:
- Since it's private, I would have to pay, or my insurance would.
- If I had a broken bone, why not go to a public hospital? Is it true that the wait times can be ridiculously long?
- They offer Acute accident care offered as an alternative to an Emergency Dept. What would the benefit be?
I can understand the usefulness if someone wanted to see the equivalent of their GP after hours but based on my history, this is a rarity. If I'm really sick, I've headed to the Emergency Room (in the US). Again, is it true that the wait in the Emergency Dept. are really that long that it would be better to go to a private facility such as this? What's interesting is that in their brochure, they state, "You will probably need to wait for some time to be seen..."
Any insight?
Cheers,
-bob