One Million People Unable to Access General Practice Services, According to New Report

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) is calling for urgent action to address the crisis in primary healthcare access in the country, as it claims one million people are currently unable to access general practice services.

The report is based on data gathered in the New Zealand Health Survey, which shows that the two main barriers to New Zealanders accessing general practice healthcare are appointment waiting times – which have increased to 21.2% - and cost.

The RNZCGP is calling on the government to implement a new model of capitation to better reflect rural needs, comorbidities, deprivation, and high-needs populations, and to fund general practices sufficiently to meet the needs of underserved populations.

Capitation is a payment model used in healthcare systems where healthcare providers are paid a set amount for each enrolled patient assigned to them, regardless of the number of services provided to that patient. The payment is typically given on a per-member, per-month (PMPM) basis and is intended to cover all necessary medical services for that patient.