Simon Townsend and Stephanie Sole(Pro Med), Graham and Mary Little, who converted the container, ready for business at Kaitaia's drive-thru clinic. Picture / Peter Jackson
Dr Lance O'Sullivan's vision of drive-thru medical clinics became a reality in Kaitaia on Monday, with a Mai Health clinic opening for patients in the carpark at the old Warehouse in Matthews Ave.
Graham and Mary Little (Cube Living), who converted the container, were there to hand it over, while
paramedics Simon Townsend and Stephanie Sole were about to be joined by other medics, including a GP.
The "revolution" in primary care, as Mr Townsend described it, was initially devised as a means of easing pressure on general practices that had become overloaded to the point where they ceased accepting new patients last year, but now offered the added benefit of meeting extra demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Lance's vision is to change the way the medical system operates, and it needs to," he said.
Those who wanted simple tests, such as temperature or blood pressure, could be in and out in a couple of minutes, he said, adding that demand for the service was so strong in Auckland that the opening of the clinic there almost resulted in riots, another symptom of community anxiety regarding coronavirus.
