Ranfurly Medical Centre could benefit from a proposed tightening of the funding formula used for rural practices, practice manager Dianne Byrne says.
The proposed shake-up would slightly increase Ranfurly's rural practice ranking, but she did not know whether that would mean more funding. The Ministry of Health is proposing a shake-up of the Rural Ranking Score, which will cut some practices out through new criteria.
The Otago Daily Times understands there is concern Oamaru might no longer qualify, as it served a community of more than 15,000 residents, although no practice contacted yesterday would comment. The ODT understands a group of Oamaru GPs will meet on Monday to discuss the matter.
Ministry of Health sector capacity and implementation deputy director-general Cathy O'Malley said in an emailed statement the proposed changes would remove ambiguity and discretion by eliminating practices unless they were more than 30km or 30 minutes' travel time from a base hospital.
They must also be in a community with fewer than 15,000 residents. It is not clear how the ministry defines ''community''. The sector was being consulted to determine the impact of the proposals before any decisions were made.
''The proposed revised rural ranking score does not change the total amount of funding allocated to rural general practice, however the level of funding to a practice could change if it is introduced,'' Ms O'Malley said.
Dunedin and Southland hospitals are the South's only base hospitals. Ms Byrne said her practice could benefit, and would certainly not be adversely affected.
Any monetary benefit would be small, but anything would be welcome, she said. South Link Health Services executive director Prof Murray Tilyard said the changes had been a long time coming. Some practices traditionally considered rural had kept receiving extra funding, despite the fact their districts had changed.
''Some of the larger rural centres which previously have qualified ... may no longer qualify or will simply not get the same amount of support.''
