Physician associates are here to stay, here to help and it is time to focus less on throwing mud and more on helping patients, Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler says.
Mr Metzler has been an early and enthusiastic advocate for physician associates (PAs), saying they could help with workload and staffing issues around rural health practices.
Now with Minister of Health Simeon Brown’s announcement last Sunday, Mr Metzler is taking a victory lap and calling for healthcare to get back to what really matters.
"This profession has now been regulated. It has passed the litmus test and undergone significant due diligence from the Ministry of Health over many years," he said.
"I’m done [with the mudslinging]. This is a time to celebrate the win, the regulation, and get on embracing a profession I know will enhance healthcare," he said.
The move was highly criticised by medical organisations around New Zealand, who say it is putting patients at risk and is a waste of resources.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said in particular Mr Metzler’s employment of PAs in Gore Health was irresponsible.
"[Gore Health] have a particular position. What I would say is you shouldn’t be using PAs or assistants in place of GPs in community settings, which is exactly what’s being done in that practice.
"We have correspondence with doctors highly concerned with what goes on in that practice," she said.
However, Mr Metzler denied these claims, stating Gore Health was using PAs responsibly.
"I would strongly refute those notions. That is wholly incorrect, and that’s all I’ll say.
"Our PAs have very good oversight and collaborative supervision, in both the emergency and general practice," he said.
Mr Metzler agreed there were issues with healthcare in New Zealand, in terms of retention and conditions for workers, making it a contentious issue.
Physicians associates were a way to help ease these burdens, not treat doctors and nurse practitioners in New Zealand unfairly.
"This isn’t doctors versus nurse practitioners versus PAs. This is about everyone working hand in glove, to ensure patients are able to access good healthcare."
Mr Metzler said he did not believe physician associates were a magic fix for the healthcare system’s woes, but were a way to mitigate damage as the country worked through a workforce crisis.
"This is not a silver bullet, more of a copper-plated bullet. But you can’t fix the wing of a plane mid-flight."
It would give "time to find solutions, to grow more doctors, nurse practitioners and physician associates as we develop curriculum for them".
