As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

And in the context of our health system, prevention looks like a strong primary care service that’s focused on keeping you healthy and out of the emergency department. The problem is though, Primary Care, as we know it, is broken.

Our current funding model has driven GP practices to the brink of insolvency. Many are forced to close down or are selling out to profit driven corporates, who want to make your sickness work for their shareholders. By overenrolling patients and pushing doctors to see more people in a day, we will see a two tier Primary health care service beginning to form. Where the days of knowing your local GP might be reserved for those that can afford the premium service.

And at the same time, our fascination with medical specialists has relegated the humble medical generalist to the bottom of the pile. Fewer and fewer doctors are interested in pursuing pathways in generalist fields and instead are opting for more lucrative, but highly niche specialties. We know how important primary care is for keeping people healthy, but why aren’t we prioritising it? It seems like we have things backwards.

On the latest episode of Revolving Door Syndrome, I kōrero with the energetic power duo that is Dr Marcia Walker (Whakatōhea/Ngāti Porou) and Dr Buzz Burrell. Both passionate about the power of primary care, brimming with real ideas about how we can tackle these issues head on.