Minister visits as new health centre planned
Andrew Little meets community leaders as plans progress
Horowhenua’s GP crisis could get a shot in the arm as plans for a new health centre in Levin gain momentum. Health Minister Andrew Little met community leaders in Levin this week, where it was again impressed on him the challenges facing regions like Horowhenua in attracting and retaining doctors.
He heard how people could wait weeks to see a GP in Horowhenua, and many were forced to travel to Palmerston North. It also created a situation where people queued at Emergency Department or afterhours clinics.
It was a proven fact that having access to the same GP achieved better health and wellbeing outcomes.
Little said it was a “chicken and egg” scenario. Having a new primary health centre built in Levin would go a long way to addressing a doctor shortage.
While the number of GPs nationwide had increased, it was not enough to fill gaps in areas like Horowhenua and the problem was compounded by an ageing workforce where many professionals were or due to retire in coming years, he said.
Some of the slack at primary level was being absorbed by an increase in nurse practitioners. Little said a barrier for graduates to locate to smaller centres was the reluctance to be burdened by running a business at the same time. The peer support that came from belonging to a larger health centre helped.
It had to be made more attractive for GPs to align themselves to small community practices long term, which would lead to better health outcomes, and more work was needed to attract graduates to general practice too, he said.
Little said there were similar issues nationwide and a nationwide strategy was in place to work through the varied health needs of different communities, and local government had a role to play in those discussions.
Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden told Little the growing population of Horowhenua meant it was vital that any future planning have long-term projections in mind.
Being a low socio-economic region presented challenges for access to medical facilities and services, he said.
The site earmarked for the new health centre was a vacant lot on Durham St that backed on to Levin Adventure Park.
HDC sold the property to a private developer with the view of a health centre development, but then bought it back when the plan flopped.
HDC then voted to sell the land to Horowhenua New Zealand Trust’s subsidiary The Horowhenua Company, with a mutual desire to build a new healthcare facility.
The Horowhenua Company chief executive Catriona McKay said it was in a position to invest capital into the new health centre in the absence of private investment.
THC had completed a comprehensive business case and a board decision on whether it would have the green light was expected within weeks.
“We’re working hard to make it happen,” she said.
Should it get the go-ahead, building the facility was expected to take 18 months, so it could realistically be open by the end of 2023, or early 2024.
The Durham St site was the perfect location for a multi-tenanted primary healthcare facility as its central location made it easier to access those services, she said.
The new centre had the potential to cater for 20,000 patients and provide a variety of other primary healthcare services in the one site, like a pharmacy, physiotherapists and opticians, potentially employing 150 people.
THC had and would be working closely with iwi with the view of developing future partnerships, she said.
HNZT was established four years ago by HDC and business leaders to be the commercial arm of HDC and provide services under contract, and to advance developments like the proposed business park south of Levin, and the new health centre.
We’re working hard to make it happen.
Catriona McKay