Doctors lose jobs amid crisis
Hundreds of general practitioners have had their hours reduced while nearly 50 have been told not to come back to work.
Other doctors are working for less or no pay as they desperately try to keep practices open.
This comes as the Ministry of Health calls on retired and parttime doctors to return to work to help fight the Covid-19 outbreak.
A Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners survey has found 470 doctors have had their hours reduced, 47 were out of work and 74 locums – who fill in when doctors are absent – have no work for April.
College medical director Dr Bryan Betty said medical centres run on ‘‘very thin margins’’ – meaning the sudden interruption of cash as the country goes into lockdown has had significant consequences when doctors are needed the most.
‘‘We are in a time of national crisis but GPs have become very unstable in parts of the country.
‘‘Basically what’s happened is there has been a collapse in the copayment. Underpinning that is the GP is not fully funded by the Government,’’ he said.
Betty said some centres were not charging Covid-19 patients, while some patients couldn’t afford to pay. But staff were ‘‘trying desperately to keep staff operating and to keep their practices intact’’.
‘‘People are working for free or reduced wages,’’ he said.
‘‘We are in the midst of a national health emergency event and
GPs and nurses are stepping up to the mark and wanting to work. It is odd that this has occurred because of the way this is structured and the way they are funded.
‘‘The ministry and the Government is aware of this issue.’’
Accent Health recruitment manager Prudence Thomson said several doctors were looking for work after their jobs had been put on hold. Many of them don’t work in urgent healthcare, or they were unable to work during the Covid-19 epidemic because of childcare or other obligations. ‘‘Some GPs are the main caregivers so they have had to take time out if they haven’t got a carer in their bubble. ‘‘It’s just mind boggling.
‘‘I think we are flying the plane as we build it,’’ she added. Onslow Medical Centre partner Dr Shane Dunphy said the practice had changed its way of working to minimise risk of transmission – triaging patients over the phone and swabbing out of a portacabin.
But the Johnsonville practice had also seen an 80 per cent drop in business.
‘‘We normally would have four to five consultants on and now we are down to two,’’ he said.
Staff had been split in to two teams who work on different days to minimise the disruption to the business if a case came through.
‘‘We feel we can provide a service during a difficult time for all of us,’’ he said.
‘‘We are trying very hard retain our staff.
‘‘If we can get through this period then things will be ok.’’
The Ministry of Health has been approached for comment. to