A Southland mother says the national travel assistance (NTA) system isn't "fit for purpose" and fails to do what it's supposed to - financially assist Kiwis who are referred through the health system.
The mother, who did not want to be named, gave birth to her son in 2019, when he was only 23 weeks and two days old. The premature baby had just a 2 percent chance of surviving.
He is now three years old but has had a raft of health complications, often requiring him and his mother to seek healthcare outside of their hometown, Invercargill.
When Kiwis are referred through the health system to receive healthcare outside of their region Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand offers assistance through the NTA.
The NTA helps with travel, accommodation and support-person costs, to ease the burden on Kiwi families already having a tough time.
The mother told Newshub that since 2019 she and her son have had to travel to Christchurch or Dunedin so he could receive specialist healthcare.
Her son has a number of health conditions including severe myopia, which means he is legally blind and can only see a distance of 7cm. He also has chronic lung disease and a myriad of other developmental issues.
His mother has used the NTA for three years and says it has always been hard to cover the cost of travel and accommodation, and with the cost of living crisis the allowance barely makes a dent.
"It is very difficult because we, like most families right now, are struggling to get from week to week. We live paycheque to paycheque."
She almost had to cancel a vital surgery which would have made her son’s “life easier”.
"This surgery is very, very important because it could be life-changing."
The NTA didn’t cover their entire trip to Dunedin so she spent weeks weighing up whether she should go into financial debt, go without food for several weeks or cancel her son's surgery altogether.
Luckily she found an alternative source of funding, which she didn’t want to name, so her son could receive the surgery.
But other families aren’t as lucky.
The Little Miracles Trust says the woman’s story is just the tip of the iceberg for struggling families, who aren’t receiving the financial support they so desperately need.
CEO Rachel Friend told Newshub the NTA isn't an upfront payment, but instead a system of reimbursement.
"They are really struggling with not only what the allowance is, but also are having [to] pay upfront, particularly for travel, and then wait to be assessed and accepted."
And Friend says the reimbursement can take weeks.
"They are having to fund themselves for usually a situation they will not have planned for, nobody expects to have their baby in intensive care."
Friend and the Invercargill mother are calling for a complete overhaul of the NTA system.
"It really is not a system that supports these whanau, if anything it just adds to their trauma."
A spokesperson for Te Whatu Ora Health says they appreciate the struggle this mother is going through and the effect it's having on her.
The spokesperson acknowledged the NTA isn't fit for purpose and is aware of the "urgent" review the system requires.
"This is one of many significant issues that need to be considered as we work to modernise our health system," they said.
"Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand is committed to ensuring, over time, all New Zealanders have fair, easier access to quality healthcare services closer to home - no matter who they are or where they live in Aotearoa.
"We are committed to building a national health system that is co-ordinated, equitable, and sustainable. As part of this work to improve healthcare pathways, Te Whatu Ora is working with districts to consider how we can improve access to services."
But the review couldn't come soon enough for many struggling Kiwi families.
