Talks tackle rural health problems

Doctors and other people concerned about declining rural access to health services have met in Christchurch to set up a national body to work with the Government on the problem.

Christchurch School of Medicine senior lecturer Martin London, a co-director of its Centre for Rural Health, said the conference was eyeing an initiative in Australia, where the Rural Health Alliance had notched up some successes with the federal Government.

The head of the Australian lobby attended yesterday's meeting.

Dr London said New Zealand also needed a national centre for rural health, because country communities wanted a greater sense of security.

"There are rural health services under stress or falling over all over the place now," he said.

Problems that had been forecast for up to a decade - such as a shortage of rural doctors and nurses - were now hitting communities. "Rural communities are ... constantly in fear of losing their medical practitioners, losing their hospitals.

"We are forming this organisation so that rural health consumers and their providers can work together with the Government to develop policy."

Rural GP claims that many colleagues are on the brink of breakdown and desertion, and other rural health officials' suggestions that Australia is luring New Zealand doctors to rural areas by paying nearly twice the rural earnings available here have added to the crisis.

South Island director of rural health Dr Pat Farry said Australia had been offering higher wages and residency and registration to doctors who signed on for six years in a rural practice.

This had affected the supply of medical locums in rural New Zealand.

- NZPA