Hokianga residents are urging healthcare workers to “move to paradise” to ensure Northland’s Rawene Hospital can offer a 24/7 service.
Staff shortages meant the hospital will temporarily stop its after-hours service from Monday.
The change means patients – who live in some of the most isolated areas of the country – will have to drive at least an hour further for after-hours care at either Bay of Islands or Kaitāia Hospital.
It would have some serious impacts on residents, who may have to wait hours for an ambulance to arrive and take them to hospital, said Louis Toorenburg, Far North District Council’s South Hokianga community board representative.
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“You knew in the past if something went wrong there was help there [at the hospital]. A minute can be a matter of life and death.”
RYAN ANDERSON/Stuff
Hokianga Harbour communities, such as Ōmāpere pictured here, are not only beautiful but great communities, Louis Toorenburg says.
The hospital is run by the community trust Hauora Hokianga/Hokianga Health, which would continue to review the situation and recruit new medical staff, aho rangi/chief executive Margareth Broodkoorn said.
“We are conscious of the impact this has on patients and their whānau. These decisions are not taken lightly, though they are one of the ways we can continue to provide safe care to those acute patients who need it.”
Broodkoorn said the situation was not unique to Hokianga, with national and global medical workforce shortages.
About 15 to 20 patients accessed the after-hours service each week, she said.
RICKY WILSON/STUFF
Hauora Hokianga chief executive Margareth Broodkoorn, left, welcomed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Rawene Hospital in November 2021. Now she hopes to welcome more medical staff. (File photo)
Hauora Hokianga staff vacancies include a GP/rural hospital doctor, rural registrar, Whānau Ora nurse practitioner, registered nurse opportunities and a part-time healthcare assistant.
The GP/rural hospital doctor position offers a competitive remuneration package, including accommodation, according to an ad.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to live and work in one of the most historic and picturesque areas of New Zealand. Beaches, boating, tramping, biking – Northland has got it all,” the ad said.
Toorenburg agreed anyone moving to Hokianga for a job at the hospital would be “moving to paradise”.
“It’s a beautiful area with great communities,” he said.
Healthcare providers become a key part of the close-knit community, Toorenburg said.
“Everybody knows everybody – when I got sick at one stage, six or seven doctors all came to see me and they’re all friends.”
Meanwhile, Hokianga residents were being told not to wait until they were very sick to get medical attention, with the hospital’s urgent care clinic available 8am to 5pm and community clinics available by appointment.
