The network’s chief executive Dalton Kelly said with such low pay rates plus the demands on rural GPs it is understandable rural health professionals are leaving the sector, prompting a call for a portion of the proposed tourist tax to be directed to rural health services.
Kelly said rural GPs and nurses are regularly called to tend to sick and injured tourists and unlike an urban incident, patients cannot be transferred to someone else who is on call.
An agreement between 75 rural GP practices, the Ministry of Health and the Accident Compensation Commission means St John can request a GP or nurse attend an incident where the response time would otherwise be significant or extra medical skills are needed for a patient.
Many of those calls are to tourists but just $1.8 million is provided for the 75 Primary Response in Medical Emergencies (Prime) contracts nationwide.
Some practitioners claimed being involved in Prime cost them $100,000.
On a recent Saturday South Canterbury doctor Sarah Creegan was called out four times.
The Government has released a discussion document on a proposed International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, expected to be set at $25 to $35 a visitor to generate $60m to $80m in its first year, equivalent to 1% of the average visitor spend.
Tourist numbers are forecast to grow from 3.8m now to 5.1m in 2024, and Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis said it is intended that revenue be split between tourism and conservation infrastructure.
Kelly acknowledged rural GPs and nurses will be in a lengthy queue seeking access to tourist tax funds but their role needs to be acknowledged as important to tourism as walking tracks, toilets, scenery or activities.
“It is an undervalued service that should really be further up the list,” he said of health funding.
Because of the nature of rural incidents, health professionals are often put in difficult situations.
It is not uncommon for a nurse to be called to an incident, drive their own car, tend to a victim then, because of staff shortages or a lack of expertise among volunteer ambulance crews, ride with the patient to hospital then have to recover their car from the scene of the accident.
Davis said consultation on the new levy will run until July 15 with policy decisions expected in September.
Legislation will then be put to Parliament and he expects the levy to be in place in the second half of 2019.
