Some very important points made here, validated by what I am concerned about watching the life of a GP relative. Exploiting them with work demands requiring hours far beyond the contracted number is widespread abuse of professionals trying to help the population.

- NZ GPs are doing about 46% of their work unpaid - often after hours and on weekends.

- Data shows that having a regular GP makes people 30 percent less likely to need to be admitted to a hospital.

- Data also shows that having a regular GP leads to a 30% reduction in all-cause mortality or death.

- New Zealand is about 2000 GPs short of what Australia has, and Kiwis deserve better. They do not deserve to be downgraded to higher risk by way of pharmacists or "physicians' assistants' acting as if they have training or overall perspective they don't have.

'Broken funding model' and 'anti-GP ideology' causing GPs to leave jobs, doctor says - RNZ News

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/594361/broken-funding-model-and-anti-gp-ideology-causing-gps-to-leave-jobs-doctor-says

#nz #nzpol #ActNZ #NZGPCrisis #NZHealthCrisis #NZHealthcare #nzhealth #nzpolitics #politics

So ACT is pushing to mimic UK erosion of quality and safety of NZ healthcare, by squeezing Kiwi pharmacists to do parts of GP jobs.

It may sound palatable to the naive, but pharnacist training is not GP training and in reality pressure incrementally increases to do inappropriate tasks, escalating patient risks.

Why might ACT be pushing for it? Well, ACT peddles anti-immigration sentiment and this deters overseas well-trained GPs from coming to save services in NZ. Getting GPs to NZ is a massive struggle at present.

So here come dubious alternatives ... which also happen to be pathways to ringfencing pharmacy and GP services so they are run mainly/only by big corporates, endlessly escalating obscene profits. Pharmacists who resist performing tasks beyond their training, for legitimate reasons, end up being sidelined from the profession and their contracts and services go to the corporates, profits often leaking to overseas. Smaller practices close, some merging under one corporate roof, meaning many patients have to travel further for services.

Just like with Farage's suggestions in the UK, it is likely that grotesque US corporate profiteers are secretly behind it. Be suspicious of the spin. It is a game of demolition.

#nz #kiwis #NZHealthcare #nzhealth #ActNZ

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/594306/act-wants-pharmacists-to-take-on-more-medical-services-to-help-out-gps

Who woulda thunk it; ACT attracting conspiracy cultists?!?

Well colour me surprised!!

#nzpol
#Actnz

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/496434/act-s-david-seymour-defends-vetting-after-candidate-controversies

My cartoon in today's www.stuff.co.nz & in print The Post The Waikato times - https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/nz-news/350040965/cartoon-july-24

While Labour & National fight between themselves other parties are working on surpassing them...

#NzPol #Aotearoa #NewZealand #GreenPartyNZ #TePātiMāori #ActNZ #LabourNZ #NationalNZ