"We are concerned that the group that has the poorest health and for whom we would like to see the greatest improvement actually has the least," Mr Farrelly said.
In the first three months of the programme the number of visits to a GP had risen from approximately 5000 to 5586- an increase of about 10 per cent.
Similarly, about 10 per cent less children aged 6 to 12 had been seen in emergency departments.
"I think it's been a fantastic beginning," Mr Farrelly said. "It's demonstrated that we in Northland have a very real commitment to our children."
In the budget last year the Government planned to fund free GP visits for children between 6 and 12 years old from July 1.
However, the Northland District Health Board chose to start it early at a cost of $300,000. There were a number of reasons why Maori children were still not going to the doctor, Mr Farrelly said.
In Whangarei and Kaipara there was a 12 per cent increase in doctors' visits for poor non-Maori children.
However, in the Far North there was only a 1 per cent increase in Maori visits.
"A key issue for us is acceptability, especially cultural acceptability," Mr Farrelly said. That meant how culturally acceptable was it to go to the doctor. Focus groups on whanau and tamariki-friendly healthcare were being undertaken to address the issue, he said.
The DHB was also investigating other reasons including transport, how appropriate the services provided were and how approachable the services were.
"All of these need to be addressed if we are going to reduce barriers to access for our most vulnerable population of children," Mr Farrelly said.
"We would hope to see a reduction in ... health conditions that can be prevented if there is good timely access to primary healthcare."
In Northland the biggest contributors were respiratory conditions and skin infections.
