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Rural doctors are appalled the proposed Pae Ora Healthy Futures Bill doesn't include a rural health strategy, and fear it could entrench health inequities in rural areas. The bill amalgamates the country's 20 District Health Boards into one centralised unit called Health New Zealand. The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network says the proposed legislation ignores the needs of the approximately 750,000 New Zealanders living in rural areas. Rural healthcare has been in crisis for at least a decade, with poorer health outcomes, and a critical workforce shortage. Forty percent of the country's 194 rural practices are looking for staff, and the existing workforce is aging, with 50 percent signalling they plan to retire in the next five to ten years. The RGPN is calling for rural communities to be identified as a priority population group in the legislation -- alongside Māori, Pacific People and the Disabled, who are already recognised. Kathryn speaks to Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network, and Gill Naylor, president of Rural Women New Zealand.
