General practitioners will get up to 13.89% more funding this year in a new agreement the Government hopes will eventually lead to faster care.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the $175 million increase was the biggest – by more than double – since the current funding system began. …
This is welcome. Everyone knows the GP system is under huge pressure.
- $59m increase for the number of patients enrolled with individual general practices
- $60m to encourage practices to provide more data for what the Government called performance-based funding
- $30m performance-based funding for the vaccination target
- $26m to help prevent fee increases for under-14s and keep fees capped for people on low incomes and community service cards.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
3 comments:
Speaking as a resident of a relatively remote community, l find it unfathomable that the Health Ministry and the Ministers with responsibility for funding our health care services appear unable to recognise a simple way of solving our doctor and nurses shortages - particularly in areas where health professionals are reluctant to go and work.
My solution is simple:
1) all immigrant health professionals applying for permanent residency and all graduate doctors and nurses should be bonded to the Health Ministry for at least 5yrs enabling the staffing shortages at rural clinics to be sorted.
2) all immigrant doctors seeking permanent residency should be required, as part of their entry contract, to complete a full 40 hr week tending to the patients on their list of personal clients.
The bottleneck at most clinics is more likely to be as a result of doctor availability during the normal working week - let alone during the weekends when many people have no choice but to got to the hospital A&E.
Simple really but will it happen - fat chance!
"$60m to encourage practices to provide more data for what the Government called performance-based funding"
What the hell is that all about ??
Does that replace a hip?
Another dialysis machine ?
Sounds to me to be about as useful as giving the Ukraine anther $16M.
A similar increase in funding for pharmacies would also be appropriate and appreciated.
But it won't happen !!
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