Rangiora residents call for more accessible healthcare

Rangiora, a town sitting just a 30-minute drive away from Christchurch, is starting to see the firsthand effect of the national GP shortage.

With a population of 19,600 the current facilities in Rangiora are being pushed to their limits with members of the community claiming waitlists of up to six months to even enroll in a local clinic, while some places simply turning people down.

Residents have been vocal on the local community Facebook page.

"There is literally no doctor that will register me in their clinic in the whole of Canterbury due to capacity and staffing, I have to use walk in clinics," said Karl Broadhurst.

Andrea Robb said she had to wait six months to get into a doctors clinic that her husband already goes to.

In February Dr Buzz Burrell told Stuff reporter Louisa Steyl that New Zealand’s GP-to-patient ratios were 'embarrassing' as currently only 25% of practicing doctors in New Zealand actually work in primary care - a big drop compared to 40% in 2014. 

While General Practitioners Aotearoa said in a briefing to the Minister of Health back in January that GPs had become 'so underfunded, under-resourced, under-valued, and overworked', that the crisis it had reached was 'no longer sustainable'.

With this in mind it is no surprise that as these towns get bigger, those smaller clinics are having to shut their books. But what does that mean for those residents who are seeking medical attention?

Both Rangiora Medical Corner and Family Doctors were contacted for details about their waitlist times and the constant demand for healthcare, but both had no comment on the current situation. 

However, residents took to the Rangiora community page to express their concerns and frustrations over their previous healthcare experiences.

Debbie Hiddleston said she and her husband had to wait a month just to get a doctor's appointment, and after that had a further two-week wait to get spoken to about the results of blood tests. 

“What a joke - we have been with this medical centre for 13 years.”

Shannan Roberts said that for her doctors she has found that the current wait list is about three weeks and that's if you're urgently seeking healthcare.

A few concerned residents said they have to travel to Christchurch to receive any sort of healthcare. This includes experiencing troubles accessing current prescriptions at local pharmacies because there are simply no spaces in clinics around Rangiora. 

Khryssi Barna, a Registered Nurse, believes a hospital is needed in North Canterbury due to the growing population and demand from surrounding areas. Khryssi knows firsthand the pressure that healthcare workers experience and understands how short-staffed the sector is at the moment, but urges the government to notice these small areas and step up their game.

For now, residents of Rangiora have to stick to the long waits and drives for healthcare until their voices get heard.