TPU audit suggests free GP visits won’t fix a doctor shortage

Summarised by Centrist

A new spot audit by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union found that one in seven GP clinics couldn’t offer a patient an appointment for nearly a month, exposing what it calls a “GP appointment crisis.”

The Union argues that Labour’s plan for three taxpayer-funded GP visits misses the real problem: too few doctors. “Free GP visits are meaningless if the doctor can’t see you until Christmas,” said spokesperson Tory Relf. Researchers phoning 14 randomly selected practices found average wait times of more than a week, with some clinics fully booked for weeks ahead.

The audit suggests that price controls and limited workforce capacity (not cost) are driving New Zealand’s primary care gridlock. Thousands of patients can’t even enrol with a GP, forcing many into emergency departments.

The Union calls Labour’s proposal a “political gimmick to justify a new tax,” arguing that boosting GP numbers and letting clinics charge sustainably would do far more for access than subsidising visits for households who can already afford care.

In their words: “The real barrier to healthcare isn’t the price of an appointment. It’s getting one.”

Read more over on X

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