M.I.A.
OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.
Many doctors in rural parts of the country are facing a cash-flow crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chair of the Rural General Practice Network Dr Fiona Bolden says that in some cases such practices have suffered a 90% drop in the cash coming across their counters.
She says with less money coming from consultations and a huge drop in ACC-related claims, some rural practices are facing a financial crisis.
“Our people still have to pay the rent and staff, and nobody wants to lay off staff, but I have heard anecdotal stories about that happening around the country,” she told Rural News.
“But those staff are going to be needed as people start to get more ill. Our people are trying to manage the anxiety and uncertainty and getting used to new ways of working,” she says.
Dr Bolden who’s on the GP’s Leaders Forum says they have approached the Ministry of Health for special assistance and some money is being made available.
Ashley Bloomfield, director general of the MOH, told media that more funding would be made available.
One of the unique problems facing rural GPs, says Dr Bolden, is the influx of people from cities and towns into small rural communities where these folks have baches and are self-isolating there.
She says this is putting huge pressure on surgeries where these people are trying to get flu immunisation and they are not registered with that medical practice.
“We are having difficulty meeting the needs of our own patients – let alone people from elsewhere. Lots of people have been doing that and the Coromandel has been badly affected as has the Lake Area in Central Otago,” she explained.
“With these people coming in from outside the district it is increasing the risk of community transmission in the local population.”
Fiona Bolden says not only is this sudden influx of people putting pressure on medical centres, it is putting pressure on other services – such as small local shops where people can buy food.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters is ratcheting up pressure on Fonterra farmers as they vote on divesting the co-operative’s consumer and related businesses.
Alliance Group's Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef has been recognised on the world stage, securing top honours at the World Steak Challenge in the Netherlands.
Meat co-operative, Alliance has met with a group of farmer shareholders, who oppose the sale of a controlling stake in the co-op to Irish company Dawn Meats.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…