Dunedin Urgent Doctors and WellSouth representatives are concerned about the number of students who would be referred to the urgent doctor service if they could not get the healthcare they needed from the telehealth system.
WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said it might leave some students unable to attend to physical and mental healthcare needs when they cropped up, and their conditions might worsen into "emergency situations, well beyond urgent care".
Otago Polytechnic deputy executive director Shaun Tāhau said the vast majority of medical issues would be able to be handled over the phone, but if telehealth referred a student for a physical checkup, they would be able to attend the Urgent Doctors in Dunedin or a drop-in clinic.
He said the polytechnic would cover the cost of the Dunedin-based Urgent Doctors appointments to remove any financial barriers.
However, Dunedin Urgent Doctors general manager Adam O’Byrne said his facility did not have the capacity to take on large numbers of polytechnic students.
Mr O’Byrne and Dr Swanson-Dobbs met Otago Polytechnic representatives to express their concerns about the proposed changes, citing the important differences between general practice, urgent care and emergency care.
Mr Swanson-Dobbs said the Urgent Doctors was not a general practice.
"It offers urgent care, which isn’t subsidised in the same way, therefore will likely be more expensive and only available, as the name suggests, in urgent situations."
He encouraged polytechnic students to enrol at a general practice.
It was the "best solution" for their healthcare needs because they would get cheaper visits, routine care such as prescriptions, and other important proactive services, including free wellbeing support which was available at many practices.
"Urgent care is ideal for after hours or if you can’t see your usual general practice team as quickly as you need," he said.
"That is not a sustainable or responsible healthcare model for the thousands of students who attend the polytechnic."
Mr Tāhau and polytechnic executive director Megan Pōtiki said they intended to offer the Pocket Lab telehealth service from January 2026.
"Our team remains confident in data provided by Pocket Lab, that the vast majority of their telehealth appointments are resolved fully online, with fewer than 2% of these appointments converting to a further in-person referral," Mr Tāhau said.
"We believe this will provide an expanded service for the majority of student health situations — including our large number of distance learners — with ākonga able to book same-day appointments from anywhere in New Zealand, between 8am and 10pm, seven days a week."
He said Pocket Lab could assist with express consultations, urgent prescriptions, lab tests, medical certificates and referrals to private specialists.
The service also offered doctors from diverse specialties and backgrounds, which could improve services for the likes of Māori, Pasifika and diverse students.
He said Pocket Lab was successfully used by other polytechnics and technology institutes.
"However, we understand a telehealth service won’t be able to fully resolve every situation and we’ve developed procedures for any referrals that may be needed.
"For any non-urgent referrals, we will advise students to connect with a local GP.
"We are currently in discussion with a number of local GPs who are supportive of this approach and keen to assist."
For urgent but non-life-threatening situations, he said students would be advised to attend Urgent Doctors in Dunedin, and in emergency situations, they should call 111 or go to the hospital emergency department.
"We will also continue to provide students with details about Healthline, emergency psychiatric services, and provide them with a wealth of health support advice and resources on our student support website."
Each online telehealth appointment would cost students between $10 and $15 per appointment, he said.
