Rural GPs join waiting list

By Rosaleen MacBrayne

Country communities worried about the future of their medical services are still waiting for the Government's rural health policy, which was due out last month.

"We wait with interest, but we are not holding our breaths," said Dr Helen Kingston, who chairs the Rural GP Network.

"We would like to have a higher profile for rural health, but we are aware there is not going to be a sudden bonanza."

Last October, the then Minister of Health, Bill English, invited submissions on a draft consultation document on the health needs of rural people.

The final policy was due to be published at the end of February but it will be at least another month before Health Minister Wyatt Creech sees it.

"I've heard a lot of words, but I've not seen any solutions delivered yet," said Ron Dunham, chief executive of Pacific Health, which administers the recently merged Western Bay and Eastbay former crown health enterprises.

The Tauranga-based organisation serves coastal Bay of Plenty from Katikati to Cape Runaway and a large Eastern Bay area stretching down to Lake Waikaremoana.

Mr Dunham, the former head of Eastbay Health, is passionate about improving rural health.

"I have seen the worst of what it does to communities."

Deteriorating economic conditions in isolated areas translated into poorer health, said Mr Dunham, who is a strong advocate of promoting good health rather than waiting for people to get sick.

A Thames Hospital doctor, John Lennane, said the Government had so far not shown the slightest commitment to rural health services, despite acknowledging that country dwellers had the same health needs as people in urban areas.

Dr Lennane said there were fears that hospitals in Taumarunui, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa and Thames would become "little outstations" of Waikato Hospital.

Meanwhile, Dr Kingston, a Golden Bay GP, predicts changes to accident compensation legislation this year will be "one more nail in the coffin of rural health services."