The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network, Rural Nurses New Zealand, the New Zealand Rural Hospital Network and Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand have made a joint submission to the Government System Review of Health and Disability Services Panel led by Heather Simpson.
“We wanted to ensure that the Panel were cognisant of the unique issues facing the rural health sector, with rural health workforce challenges being front and foremost of these,” said NZRGPN Chief Executive Dalton Kelly.
“Of all the geographic categories, New Zealand’s rural towns have the lowest socioeconomic status, highest proportion of Māori, highest avoidable and amenable mortality rates, and most likely the poorest access to health services. Equity, with respect to health outcomes and access to services, is a core value for health service delivery in rural New Zealand. Therefore, at the heart of this submission is the right of every rural person to have equitable access to health and social services that are: sustainable, flexible, connected and accessible.”
Read the Network’s submission.