Aotearoa / New Zealand @lemmy.nz ooo_shiny @lemmy.nz 1 yr. ago

More GPs urgently needed, change recommended to primary care funding - report

www.rnz.co.nz More GPs urgently needed, change recommended to primary care funding - report

The "accountability-free" funding for general practice is fuelling the decline in GP work hours and the significant decrease in the GP-to-population ratio, according to new report.

I wonder when NZ will move away from the quasi-free-market-but-funded-by-the-government system in health (and education). It leads to outcomes like this which are clearly inefficient. I’d like to see more centralisation.

17 comments

I'd like to see free GP visits for anyone low income and standard prices for everyone else.
- Huh. I had assumed this was already the case, but it seems Community Services Card holders get cheaper visits but not free ones. That's probably a good election promise for someone to offer.
  
  Nope, and people on benefit who are sick get the same jobseekers rate but are expected to keep bringing medical certificates regularly, which of course their GP charges for. That stops if they can get on the supported living payment, but the last National made that extra difficult.

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