The doctor shortage is "on a precipice" and is expected to worsen unless urgent action is taken to bolster its numbers, one GP says.
Residents of Switzer Residential Care in Kaitaia have been left without a doctor after their GP clinic, Te Hiku Hauora, was forced to cut their contract due to a "very precarious" GP staffing shortage.
It means residents who require care must instead be taken to the A&E clinic of their local hospital.
Far North GPs say the crisis up north is the canary in the coal mine — a symptom of a much bigger issue spanning across the country.
Switzer Residential Care’s GP clinic, Te Hiku Hauora, was forced to cut their contract due to a “very precarious” staffing shortage. (Source: 1News)
GenPro chairman and GP Dr Tim Malloy told Breakfast the situation has not improved but is "actually getting worse".
"The reality is we don't have short-term solutions, medium-term or long-term solutions, and we have been promoting and arguing this issue for three decades, that I'm aware of," he said.
A report written by Malloy, On the Brink: Saving New Zealand’s family doctor service, says the country is "now facing the stark reality and impact of that neglect in failure to act".
He said the staffing shortage is now at a "critical point and you can see that in a vulnerable community — particularly a rural community".
"Providers are having to make absolutely critical decisions around what they can and cannot serve in terms of their staffing capacity, and particularly medical staffing capacity — equally the nursing staffing capacity as well.
"So the reality is we're right on a precipice and it's looking like it's only going to get worse unless some really fast action is achieved shortly."
Malloy called the situation unfolding at Switzer Residential Care an "absurd scenario" and a "difficult and trying situation for everybody".
"The provider won't have made this choice easily. It is a pragmatic decision based on the fact that there's nobody there to serve them. What are they meant to do?"
He called on the Government to invest in training more doctors in the country to provide community care.
"We can't always rely on international medical graduates from another country. As Covid has taught us, when the borders are closed we have nothing."
It comes despite the ongoing doctor shortage, Maddy Llyod reports. (Source: 1News)
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall told Breakfast in a statement that the Government has made moves to address the shortage, including a $106 million funding boost for general practices to support cost pressure increases, and $4.5 million per year since 2019 to strengthen the rural health workforce.
"I am eager in my meetings with GP leaders to discuss ways to make the role more attractive to the profession," she said.
But Malloy said we have "[found] ourselves in this situation anyway so clearly, they are not enough".
"It starts with the supply to the medical training programme. The entry into medical school is controlled by the Government and the Government decides how many doctors they are going to train.
"We have to get more doctors trained in New Zealand, for New Zealanders and ideally, in the community and in rural settings."
Malloy said more needs to be done to make general practice "an attractive proposition for a medical graduate".
"It's an incredibly satisfying career option, but the reality is we're not getting people making that choice and we need to get them exposed to the communities we serve in order for them to understand how exciting a career it can really be."
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand told Breakfast additional funding has recently been announced to support the GP workforce, including a salary increase for GP registrars under the Royal College of GPs; an accommodation allowance for some GP trainees; an increase in the number of GPs trained per year to 300 by 2026, with a particular focus on Pasifika and Māori doctors; boosting the number of training places for nurse practitioners from 50 to 100 by next year; and providing funding cover for rural general practices and hospitals where needed.
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