Wanganui District Council will urge the Whanganui District Health Board and neighbouring local authorities to join a drive for more funding for health transport services across the region.
The heart of the issue is that increasing numbers of people needing specialist medical services have to travel out of Wanganui and district to get it, mainly at Palmerston North Hospital.
But who is responsible to transport those people remains unresolved and it has got the district council's strategy and policy committee riled up.
As health services continue to be regionalised it means more Wanganui people have to travel to Palmerston North for specialist care. While travel assistance does reimburse some, its rigid application means anyone closer than 80km from Palmerston North does not qualify (It is 72km between the cities).
Marie Gorinski, a council policy analyst, told the committee the transport threshold for Wanganui was "very restrictive" compared to some other districts. "Northland, for example, has free buses, paid for by the ministry."