Most tots get free docs

More than 90 per cent of children aged under 6 now have access to free after-hours doctors’ visits, Health Minister Tony Ryall says. District health boards were negotiating with local general practices and after-hours clinics to implement the policy but participation was voluntary, Mr Ryall said yesterday. ‘‘This is an important preventative health measure as parents are more likely to take their child to the doctor for treatment before their condition becomes severe.’’ Fourteen DHBs have achieved free access for over 95 per cent of children, including Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley DHBs which had 100 per cent coverage. August 8 last year when he was sucked into a Rolls-Royce C-130 Hercules turboprop engine he was testing at Woodbourne, near Blenheim. The Department of Labour prosecuted Safe Air, an aircraft maintenance company, under the Health and Safety in Employment Act. Safe Air, owned by Air New Zealand, was fined $56,250 by the district court and ordered to pay $22,500 in reparation. ‘‘The department believes the fine imposed by the district court judge did not reflect the seriousness of this offence,’’ a Department of Labour spokesperson said.