Budget benefits health of rural New Zealanders

May 19, 2011

Budget benefits health of rural New Zealanders

The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network believes budget 2011 has delivered many benefits to rural New Zealand on the health front including training more doctors, care of the elderly, disease prevention programmes and support for rural broadband.

“It is impressive that the budget has seen an overall increase in health funding of 4.3% given the tough economic times,” says NZRGPN chairperson Dr Jo Scott-Jones.
“In an environment of fiscal restraint and national and international financial pressures it is important to ensure that core services such as health remain well supported.”

“The increased funding for first point-of-contact GP services, in particular the Very Low Cost Access services, which includes many rural communities is welcomed and applauded. Primary care remains the mainstay of acute and preventative care so essential for the health of our (rural) populations.”

“Training health providers who come from rural communities, with exposure throughout their career development path to rural communities, as illustrated by the Otago and Auckland University rural immersion schemes, is an important step in helping to address, in the long-term, the rural health workforce shortages that continue to put pressure on health services in heartland New Zealand. The NZRGPN applauds the $18 million for 40 extra medical training places as an important step on the road.”

“Rural communities struggle with provision of care to the elderly and extra beds and respite care to support the care of dementia patients is welcome as the demographic changes we are seeing increase the demand for elder care facilities.”

“It is the rural communities of Northland and Bay of Plenty that experience the highest incidence of rheumatic fever in the country and a boost to disease prevention programmes focussed on this condition are also welcomed and applauded.”

“It’s good to see the Voluntary Bonding Scheme continues to be supported, although we would like to see adjustments in the details to allow it to support rural primary care nursing in the future.”

Rural New Zealand is an important contributor to the national economy and rural health services a vital part of maintaining populations in rural communities. The NZRGPN welcomes the continued support for the rural broadband scheme which will significantly improve the scope and level of services that can be provided in rural communities by their health providers with the online support of remote urban services, says Dr Jo Scott-Jones.

The NZRGPN hopes that changes in DHB costs due to increased Kiwisaver contributions do not have an inequitable impact on rural health services that, because of the nature of rural communities disadvantaged by distance, poverty and widely distributed populations, inherently cost more per unit of service than urban services.

The NZRGPN notes that maintaining the status quo in rural health funding initiatives is an insufficient response to the issues of workforce recruitment and retention that are still a significant problem across New Zealand, and the NZRGPN will continue to work to develop solutions to these on-going issues.

ends

© Scoop Media