Te Whatu Ora MidCentral is working on a clinical services plan which will look at radiology services in the rohe, which includes Tararua district.

Te Whatu Ora chief operations officer Lyn Horgan said the clinical services plan was to ensure radiology services were “fit for purpose, effective, cost efficient and serviced equity outcomes”.

“Our clinical services plan is an opportunity to plan for the future and make sure we’re setting ourselves in the right direction.”

Earlier this year, THINK Hauora introduced new eligibility criteria for Community Referred Radiology Services which would mean some people in the Tararua district would be charged a fee for using radiology services, unless they opted to be referred to Palmerston North hospital.

Only those who were Maori or Pasifika or had a Community Services Card were eligible for free service.

Urgent radiology needs were provided under a different programme.

X-ray equipment at the Dannevirke Community Hospital. There were fears that, due to the change in criteria, the community would lose the service.

That led to concerns in the community that the district might lose the service and many people were upset about the criteria, prompting a campaign from community leaders to get them to change their minds.

In late June, after hearing feedback from the community, THINK Hauora and Te Whatu Ora (then MidCentral District Health Board) reversed the decision and those services would again be free until a review of radiology access was completed.

Horgan said the development of the clinical services plan had been slightly delayed by Covid-19 but an initial proposal has gone to the Iwi Māori Partnership Board for its feedback.

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“Once we have acted on that feedback, it will then be shared formally with key stakeholders.”

She said in the meantime community-delivered radiology services would continue being free in the interim for all patients in the Tararua district.

“We are closely monitoring the uptake of radiology services across our rohe and will communicate with our communities if any further changes are planned.”