Family doctor scheme now in jeopardy

Press, 31 October 1981, Page 12

Family doctor scheme now in jeopardy

PA Auckland A post-graduate training scheme for young doctors about to enter family practice is now in jeopardy because of a Government delay in increasing finance for the programme, says the chairman of the council of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, Dr Rae West.

The delay may mean many experienced general practitioners who train the young doctors could withdraw from the scheme.

The college and the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education have been making representations, to the Minister of Health (Mr Gair) on the funding of the scheme — the family medicine training programme — for the last 18 months.

Mr Gair told them recently of the Government’s intention to delay its review of the programme funding.

.“The programme is now in jeopardy because of the Government’s refusal to give priority to increased support for the scheme’s teachers,” said Dr West. “After 18 months of recommendation. . . the Minister has again refused to move urgently," said Dr g West.

By the time the recommendations were considered,

the family doctors who train the young entrants to practice would well have withdrawn from the scheme be-

cause they were ■ losing money by having the young doctors in their practice, he said. “Even if the teaching doctors themselves are altruistic enough to carry on because of their commitment to high standards of practice, their

partners, taking a more practical view, may well insist on withdrawal," he said. Dr West said schemes such

as the family medicine training programme had been shown overseas to produce young doctors who treated patients better from their earliest days of practice. They also had higher standards of practice and managed their practices in a way which was "more economical of Government subsidies arid patient fees."