Top of a rural health group’s policy wish list from political parties seeking votes at the looming general election, is more philosophical than tangible.
The Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand wants a the next government to address two issues it considered were barriers to equitable health care for rural New Zealanders.
Alliance chief executive Michelle Thompson said a focus on rural health research and rural-proofing proposed government policy could fundamentally change rural health services.
“It can seem to be academic things to go for but we are saying that these long term measures would finally give us the ability to hold policy makers to account.”
Frustration at continued inequities had pushed access to health services to the fore of policies rural NZ wanted political parties to address in this year’s election campaign.
Thompson was confident political parties were listening to the alliance but knew change would take time.
However, the pressure on politicians needed to be maintained in the coming year and she hoped a commitment to address their concerns would be forthcoming from whichever party won power.
Funding of research was needed to more accurately define people who were rural and those who were urban.
Anecdotally, alliance members believed those living in rural areas had poorer health outcomes than those living in urban areas.
“But we can’t prove to government whether rural health outcomes are poorer than urban health outcomes until we get the hard facts to do that, so we can’t seek increased funding or services provided.”
The definitions of urban and rural were never designed for health services and Thompson said they ignored the reality some people considered urban received rural health services, significantly inflating the number of people reliant on those services.
The alliance was working with researchers on a new system to differentiate rural and urban, which she hoped the Government would support.
“This is fundamental.”
The alliance also wanted officials to be legally obliged to consider the impact on the rural community of any policy, what Thompson called rural-proofing.
“A rural-proofing tool really is a guide or a checklist for policy makers that they consider when making policies.”
It would ensure if health services were to be shifted, for example, then the interests of rural people relying on those services and who might have further to travel, would be considered.
Attracting medical professionals and enhancing rural health services should improve as rural communities became more vibrant, providing spouses with job opportunities, better education and infrastructure such as broadband.
The alliance represented 47 health, agribusiness, education and community groups and local government and had previously stated that at 600,000 people, rural NZ was effectively the country’s second largest city.
But on issues such as access to health, it was treated as a second-class citizen.
Alliance chairman Martin London said in May “Government needs to help remove barriers so rural people’s health (can) be considered just as important as those who live in cities.”
The alliance’s priorities were to improve rural health services, wellbeing, the health workforce, connectivity, research and policy.
Rural Women NZ president Fiona Gower said a series of natural disasters had highlighted rural mental health shortcomings.
In most cases there was immediate care for people needing support for psychological issues but follow-up care was less accessible, often requiring travel to a major centre.
With pressure from recent adverse events as diverse as the plummeting milk payout to floods, earthquakes and drought, rural New Zealanders had been exposed to stress-related illnesses.
“We’re not asking for favourable treatment. We are saying to (the) Government what can we do to help get some of those services?
“We are just asking for equity with our urban counterparts so we can compete on a level playing field.”
Gower wanted parties to ensure groups such as the Rural Support Trust, the alliance and the Rural GP Network were adequately supported.
