Specialist doctor shortage: More than a third of adults not getting healthcare they need
More than a third of adult New Zealanders are not getting the healthcare they need, a new study by the senior doctors union has found.
Patients who need specialist care were being left “in limbo” with their GPs, while the number of people turning up to emergency departments in life-threatening situations is growing.
The report by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists used official data including patient surveys, wait lists for non-surgical care and information about the number of people referred to a specialist but declined care.
About 1.75 million people were missing out on dental care, while 329,000 and 55,000 children were not getting the treatment they needed for mental health or addiction, it said.
The number of people who did not receive specialist care within four months was six times higher in September last year than in July 2019, it found.
In an editorial on the study in the New Zealand Medical Journal, the authors said that had big implications.
“As access to hospital specialists declines, growing numbers of patients are left in limbo under the care of their GPs, adding further to the pressures on access to primary care services, and risks patients’ condition deteriorating and quality of life worsening,” they said.
The report said the number of people turning up to hospital emergency departments has grown by 22 per cent in the nine years to 2023.
And the proportion of them arriving with immediately or potentially life-threatening conditions has grown from a half to two-thirds, it said.
The union said the situation was much worse than in comparable European countries and urgent investigations were needed.
It said any change needed to be much wider than just the health system, addressing the problems that could contribute to bad health including poverty.
===================================================
www.nzherald.co.nz...
==================================================
Valentine’s Special | Custom Massage & Energy Healing
A 120-minute bespoke massage and energy-healing session designed to bring awareness and sensation back into the body. Ideal for a grounding, nervous-system reset, and embodied presence.
Valentine’s Special: $200 (120 minutes)
Session includes
- Intuitive, tailored full-body massage
- Integrated energy-healing work
- Premium organic massage oils
- Custom aromatherapy
- 432Hz healing frequency soundscape throughout
Why Valentine’s?
Valentine’s doesn’t have to be outward or performative. This session is a way to reconnect internally, release stored tension, and return to the body with clarity and ease.
About
Experienced professional masseuse and energy healer. Sessions are one-on-one only and adapted precisely to what the body presents on the day.
Available in Helensville, Auckland CBD, or as a mobile service.
Limited Valentine’s availability.
Message to book or enquire.
Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?
The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.
Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.
We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?
-
9.3% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
-
43.6% I want to be able to choose.
-
47.1% Against. I want to deal with people.
Dry cleaners mt Roskill
Hello our fellow neighbors I was hoping someone would know where the old dry cleaners we had up at the lights on dominion road have moved to?? I was out of town and when I came back they were gone .... I had some items that I would really love to get back but if only I new where they moved to or how to get In Touch with the owners to see what they did with our clothes if they closed down or moved elsewhere? Any updates or news about it would be amazing neighbors. Have a great day
Loading…
