By ELIZABETH BINNING
Country doctors are threatening to quit their jobs if the Government does not deliver more money to attract GPs to rural positions.
A national shortage of locums and new graduates willing to work in country practices has left doctors in many rural towns struggling to provide adequate care.
In parts of the South Island, residents are without any medical care at all, and doctors in the Waikato and upper North Island are working more than 60 hours a week and without leave.
Dr Tim Malloy, chairman of the NZ Rural GP Network, said some doctors in the Waikato and South Island were threatening to resign if the Government did not provide funding for more rural doctors and locums by July 1.
That coincides with the date funding is due to be allocated for the Government's primary healthcare strategy, part of which involves measures to recruit and retain rural healthcare workers.
Ministry of Health spokesman Colin Feek said the ministry was sympathetic to the GPs' cause, which would be reflected when the funding was allocated in July.
But many doctors, including Waihi Beach's sole GP, Dr Peter Modlmayr, doubt the funding will relieve the problem because few people are willing to work in rural practices, which involve long hours and receive limited support.
Dr Modlmayr has been struggling to care for Waihi Beach's 3500 residents since his colleague left the practice last year.
Attempts to find another GP have been fruitless and Dr Modlmayr is now trying desperately to recruit a doctor from overseas.
If that fails he will consider moving to Australia, where he can earn up to three times what he earns in rural New Zealand.
Locums are available in some towns, but often cost more than twice what a clinic earns in a day.
On the Coromandel Peninsula, locums are nearly impossible to find quickly and doctors such as Michael Miller in Whangamata work up to 12 hours a day.
Dr Miller, who has had only one holiday in 12 years, said it had got to the stage where Coromandel GPs could not afford to get sick or take leave. "Basically we are surviving but only just. We can't get short-notice locums - they don't exist.
"It is only going to take one GP to fall ill or decide they have had enough for it to all fall over."
Institute of Rural Health chief executive Robin Steed said efforts were being made to attract GPs to rural towns and work was being done with the Ministry of Health.
A consultation paper, looking at solutions to the problem, is due to be released by the ministry this week.
Dr Malloy has requested an urgent meeting with Health Minister Annette King to discuss the situation.
By ELIZABETH BINNING
Country doctors are threatening to quit their jobs if the Government does not deliver more money to attract GPs to rural positions.
A national shortage of locums and new graduates willing to work in country practices has left doctors in many rural towns struggling to provide adequate care.
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