The shortage of doctors in rural communities is unacceptable, inequitable and a failure of the system, according to the president of the general practitioners' professional body.
Dr Tim Malloy, President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, told Seven Sharp small communities around rural New Zealand are struggling with the shortage at the moment.
"And there are a number in which we simply don't have a doctor. And that is going to become increasingly the case," he said.
"I don't think it's acceptable. I think that one of the issues that New Zealand has prided itself on is social equity. And I see this as not being equitable. In my view that's a failure of the system."
While rural communities have the highest GP vacancies, urban areas are also feeling the pressure.
The national average is 1193 people to each GP.
But in the West Coast district, that number is 1639 people per GP, while Counties Manukau has 1533 and Mid-Central has 1512 people for each GP.
"We've increased the number of people who are training in general practice. Unfortunately, in my view, we haven't increased them enough in order to encourage the distribution issue," Dr Malloy said.
The small settlement of Te Araroa on East Cape is one community with no doctor and Daphne Poi, who'll be 79 next month, knows the impact all too well.
"Well my intentions are moving to Gisborne - just waiting for a whare - for health reasons. I don't want to leave the area but, hey, there's nothing here for me. It's health reasons, because of the shortage of doctors," she said.
The local school principal, Campbell Dewes, said until the health infrastructure is overhauled "we have to work smarter with what we've got. And at the moment we've got nothing."
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