Understanding doctor shortages with Dr. Api Talemaitoga

After working at Normans Road Surgery in Strowan since 1999, Dr Api Talemaitgoa says they’re now “playing catchup.” 

“We used to be able to see patients as soon as they rang up, now they’re waiting several days and sometimes even a couple of weeks which is terrible.

“The workload has become heavier, and it’s harder to get locums, to get people to cover for you when you want to go on holiday.

"When the other doctors want to go on holiday, I have to step in or we negotiate, ‘who's available to do an extra shift?’” 

Api said that when he was younger, he first wanted to be a teacher. 

When his school teacher parents told him he should do something different from the rest of the family, he decided to move from Fiji to New Zealand and train to be a doctor. 

“I just loved the fact that you developed a long-term relationship with the patients you see and you know them over the years.

"Some of them came in as babies or you know a positive pregnancy test from their parents, and now I’m looking after their kids!” 

And that’s why despite living in Auckland, Talemaitoga still comes down to work at the same practice he was at 25 years ago, all because of his love for the people. 

“I have worked for the Ministry of Health for five years and I moved to Auckland, and I live in Auckland now, but I come and work here every week because I love the patients here.” 

But he knows things over the years have become difficult for everybody in general practice, especially with things like an increase in paperwork. 

“The chooks have come home to roost, we did not invest enough in general practice training."

Api says the country isn’t able to retain all of the doctors trained in Auckland and Dunedin.

"[Even though] the Government and the previous Government have increased the training from 100 a year to 300, it’s too late.

"It’s going to take another five years to train them up.” 

But at the end of every week, Dr Api Talemaitoga’s reason for staying in the role is always first and foremost what he gets out of the people. 

“I know it’s a transaction and they’re paying to see me, but it’s that quality that I get as much as I hope they get.

“I still think it’s an enormous privilege to look after people and have them tell you their lives. their innermost thoughts and fears and yeah, I love that bit.” 

While the backlog at your local GP may still be ongoing, plenty of work is still going on behind closed doors to keep these practices afloat.