A looming ''critical'' shortage of general practitioners could cause problems in Dunedin if the Government does not act soon, doctors say.
The potential impacts of a GP shortage and potential solutions will be among the issues discussed at a three-day Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners conference starting in Dunedin tomorrow.
The conference, expected to be attended by 466 delegates from around New Zealand, comes as the college ramps up efforts to get the Government to act on the shortage before it reaches a critical level.
College president Dr Tim Malloy said GPs were fed up, tired and crying out for help.
In an effort to gain the attention of the Minister of Health, Dr Jonathan Coleman, on the pressures facing GPs, the college invited GPs to share their thoughts directly with the minister via a digital postcard campaign.
More than 350 GPs took up the offer and the postcard responses were delivered to the minister yesterday.
''The comments we've seen are alarming.
''With more than 40% of the GP workforce planning to retire within the next 10 years, we need to train new GPs now and that requires more government funding.
''Without the next generation of GPs to hand over to, New Zealand will find itself facing a critical shortage of GPs, which will make it difficult for patients to be seen. ''
Dunedin GP Dr Sharon Leitch, who works at Meridian Medical Centre and as a senior research fellow at the University of Otago, said Dunedin was not facing issues caused by a lack of GPs now, but would in future if the issue was not addressed.
''There certainly seems to be a far greater proportion of older and elderly GPs [in Dunedin] compared to younger people coming on,'' Dr Leitch said.
In a joint statement after yesterday's meeting, Dr Malloy and Dr Coleman said the Government was taking GPs' concerns about workforce numbers and the funding model seriously.
''The meeting today was positive and concluded with an agreed focus on working constructively together.''
''More GPs are being trained, but more are needed,'' the statement said.
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Comments
Yet again the GP's demand more GP's as the only solution to the shortages in Primary care.
The country has 246 Nurse Practitioners, with around 50% working in Primary care. Seventy-seven New Nurse Practitioners were registered last year alone. Nurse Practitioners are a distinct scope of practice which requires additional training and allows Nurses to assess, diagnose and treat illnesses. We cost of third of what it does to train a GP, yet have been shown to provide an equivalent level of care. NPs work in rural and remote areas in Primary care and even run their own healthcare centres- and tend to stay in the area.
No problem has ever had one solution- yet there is a fixation on GPs being the only solution to providing care in Primary care.
Mark Baldwin Chair Nurse Practitioners New Zealand