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Primary care needs to “get on and build the future”, and not hope for the health reforms to provide answers, says veteran of the sector, John Macaskill-Smith

With Canterbury cases rising, Riccarton Clinic is handling nearly 600 COVID-positive cases along with its urgent-care work, says Riccarton Clinic GP and co-owner Jason Pryke 

Pharmac’s first ‘transparency’ update on medicines and products shows 84 old applications were binned and 10 new approved 

Some inundated Auckland practices are writing to ProCare to formally record they are struggling to deliver care, says ProCare chief executive Bindi Norwell 

Traffic banked up for a kilometre on Karori’s main road last week as Karori Medical Centre distributed 10,000 rapid antigen tests in just over three hours, says specialist GP and centre co-owner Jeff Lowe 

Medsafe this week approved the first of two antiviral COVID-19 treatments suitable for community use, but the earliest they will be available is April 

Auckland general practices are facing abuse from patients demanding rapid antigen tests and, in the Southern region, only 25 per cent of practices have received the tests 

A review of capitation funding for general practice appears to be under way behind closed doors – without input from practices

As Omicron cases escalated around the country under phase 2, GPs spoke of their frustration as well as pragmatism in dealing with constant change and frequent confusion

A review of capitation funding for general practice appears to be under way behind closed doors – without input from practices