Tairāwhiti ‘GP sector still in crisis’: Aitcheson

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Tairāwhiti GP Fergus Bruce Aitcheson says general practice is in the worse state he has ever seen.

The Three Rivers managing partner and specialist GP recently appeared on Newshub as one of several medical specialists who said his sector was in crisis.

“So I would urge whoever has got the reins come October 15 to have a really serious look at this, because the message from general practice is clear — the building is on fire,” he told Newshub.

That fire, is in part due to an outdated, broken, Government-controlled funding model.

“If productivity falls slightly in general practice there’s a massive knock-on effect to the emergency department and the secondary sector.”

It causes ‘ramping’ at emergency departments, as primary care that prevents hospitalisations diminishes.

“The general practice plane is running out of fuel,” Dr Aitcheson said.

Earlier this year Dr Aitcheson made similar comments to the Herald when Three Rivers reduced its operating hours because of years of underfunding and growing pressure on staff.

Dr Aitcheson said crisis was an overused word, but the GP sector was in a crisis, which had been building up for years.

“It really is upon us.”

A key funding issue for GPs was that the capitation rate (a government fixed payment for each enrolled person) was not indexed to inflation.

The GP sector was reliant on overseas doctors, but there were immigration difficulties and “doctors will go where the money is”.

Moves to create pay parity for primary healthcare nurses with the wages of public hospital nurses excluded nurses who worked in general practice.

This was “just nuts”, he said.