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Media Comment
In addition to issuing media
statements on matters of concern to the
College in the Primary Health Care sector, or in the College's sphere
of interest, we also contribute columns
in the medical media in New Zealand. Occasional articles written
by College staff also appear in the general media.
To publish these items, please email:
Communications
Manager or phone +64 4 496 5999
Media Comment from 2007
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- Now
it’s your turn
At
a recent course I spent some talking to a very senior doctor in
charge of a very big department at one of our medical schools.
We got into the usual joshing about hospital consultants (the
partialists) and general practitioners. We talked of the recruitment
and retention problems we all spoke of. We also talked of what
encourages medical students to become general practitioners and,
perhaps more importantly, what can discourage them.
Jonathan
Fox, President , RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, September 2007
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- At
times pianissimo, at times fortissimo
In
looking back over the past two years I can see how far general
practice has come.
July 2005 saw the GP workforce in a state of despair and fatigue.
Dr
Jonathan Fox, President , RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, 29 August 2007
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- Meeting
the Challenge – Kokiringia te Wero
This
was the title of our latest Conference held in Rotorua so I thought
it appropriate to report on the multitude of challenges presented
to the College and general practice during those three action packed
days.
Jonathan
Fox, President , RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, 1 August 2007
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- The
new General Practice registrar; future primary care leader
Tell
me and I will forget,
Show me, and I may not remember,
Involve me, and I will understand
Euan A Ashley
I
was reminiscing recently with an elderly patient on the anniversary
of his diagnosis of a leaking “AAA” one year earlier.
The medical student, who was actively engaged in the consultation,
was awestruck by the life saving moments of general practice
and appreciated the team of professionals who had been involved
in the care of this very fortunate man. It is not surprising
that medical students from University of Auckland (UoA) are
indicating an interest in General Practice (GP) as a chosen
speciality. Over the past two years, medical students in 4th
and 5th years have responded favourably to a survey conducted
by the Department of General Practice about interest in pursuing
GP.
Tana
Fishman, Chair, Board of Education, RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, June
2007
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- Dealing
to disparities and inequalities
The
best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well
Sir William Osler
The
overall goal of the RNZCGP is “to improve the health of
ALL New Zealanders through high quality general practice. I
always emphasise the “all” to remind us of the disparities
and inequalities in health that exist within New Zealand society;
something we should be constantly reminded of and something
that has to change.
Jonathan
Fox, President, RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, May 2007
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- Nurses
there to generate care, not income
I
was delighted recently to be asked to open the Goodfellow Symposium
held at the Tamaki Campus of the School of Population Health in
Auckland. It was the second outing for the Symposium. Around 300
registrants; GPs, practice nurses, pharmacists and medical students
came together for two days.
Jonathan
Fox, President, RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, April 2007
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-
Time
for some magic
When I was living and working in Hong Kong this was a magical
time of the year. We had the Christmas and New Year celebrations,
this was mainly celebrated by the ex-patriot community but supported
with gusto by the local shops. The hotels, usually part of a
Western chain, competed amongst themselves with their festive
food festivals and their Christmas lights.
Jonathan
Fox, President, RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, March 2007
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- 'We're
proud of who we are'
One
of the College’s Position Statements reads:
Every person should have a general practitioner.
There is a need for the continuing role of general practitioners
specialising as generalists.
A GP is an appropriately qualified and registered medical professional,
with knowledge and skills to provide personal, family, whanau,
and community orientated comprehensive general practice care
that:
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Continues over time
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Is anticipatory as well as responsive, and
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Is enhanced rather than limited by the age, sex, race religion
or social circumstances of patients, nor by their physical
or mental states.
I know what a General Practitioner is and I suspect most of
you know what one is too, especially those of you who are vocationally
registered and entitled to practice independently.
But
many other people seem to have a problem in identifying one.
They reckon a Surgeon is easy to recognise, likewise a Dermatologist
or an Ophthalmologist. However that is probably only really
applicable to the urban centres – look round your Rural
hospital and it all gets rather fuzzy. There is however a tendency
to blur anyone working outside a hospital in some sort of open
access or self referral clinic as a GP.
Jonathan
Fox, President, RNZCGP: NZ Doctor, February 2007
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