Taxpayers' $10,000 spent on rugby tickets for GPs

A rural doctors' organisation has been forced to pay back almost $10,000 of taxpayers' money which it spent on tickets to an All Blacks v England test match.

The spending was yesterday described as "outrageous" by National MP Katherine Rich, who wants more investigation.

Responding to a parliamentary question from Mrs Rich, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said the Rural General Practice Network spent $8597.59, excluding GST, on 10 tickets to the All Blacks versus England rugby test in Wellington on June 14, 2003.

The expenditure was listed under sponsorship in the group's audited financial report.

Mr Hodgson said the Ministry of Health had not been aware ministry funds had been used for the tickets "until very recently", and the network had since accepted the use of state funding in that way had been "inappropriate".

The group had agreed to reimburse the ministry for the cost of the tickets, he said in the reply.

However, Mrs Rich said: "I find it unacceptable that such expenditure of taxpayer money could be creatively described as sponsorship - that's clearly misleading and there should be an apology issued.

"Spending almost $10,000 on treating staff and the board to a rugby match does nothing to advance the issue of attracting locums to relieve overworked rural GPs.

"If they're happy to put down 10 tickets to the All Blacks as 'sponsorship' what's happening with some of the other expenditure?"

The network represents the interests of rural general practices, and administers a Government-funded recruitment service for eligible rural GPs seeking a locum or a someone for a long-term appointment.

Chairman Dr Tim Malloy said he was not aware of the ticket purchase until after it was done, and the problem had been attended to at the time.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES