Fourteen per cent of NSW patients aged over 65 are skipping medical care because it's too expensive, an international survey has found.
More than one in 10 people aged over 65 in NSW have skipped
medical care due to the cost, an international survey has found.
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The results of the 2017 survey, which questioned people over 65 from 11 countries on their views and experiences in healthcare systems, were published on Thursday, finding a number of areas of concern in medical care in the state.
Fourteen per cent of NSW patients surveyed said they skipped medication, a consultation, or follow-up care because of the cost - while 21 per cent said they didn't visit a dentist at all due to financial reasons.
More than a quarter of those surveyed also said accessing out-of-hours medical care was "very difficult".
Bureau of Health Information acting chief executive Dr Kim Sutherland says while the state's health system generally performs well, barriers to accessing healthcare could be improved.
"We can see from the results that while 71 per cent of people in NSW were happy with the healthcare they received, this result is significantly lower than in six comparator countries," she said in a statement on Thursday.