Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
1. The doctor must first acknowledge that the present system is
not working. It is being dictated to by untrained politicians
attracting votes rather than solutions. 24/7 subsidised virtual
consults with doctors and nurse practitioners you have never
met. Year long prescriptions etc. Services never getting to the
roots of peoples problem. Knee jerk reactions. Doctors
should veer away from such scrappy band aids.
2. Once they have made this observation they must decide how
they can make an honest, yet modest living from their new
improved practice. This will mean minimising overheads,
keep admin to a minimum. Rember why folk are coming to see
you. Patients are coming to see you for your skills, and for
nursing skills.
3. Doctors must invest in learning new skills other than just
prescribing. In the 1980s 400 GPs in New Zealand learned
acupuncture. More learned the art of joint manipulation. Many
were delivering babies. Many were doing minor surgery. Some
even homeopathy .I became a busy teacher of acupuncture to
doctors also nurses , physios, osteopaths etc. The demand
for this from doctors disappeared dramatically when the PHO
capitation system came in.
4. The doctor must decide which of these new skills is most
suited to their vision, passion and personality. Nutrition,
fitness and lifestyle advice, trauma work, meditation etc. As
well as the skills described .And don’t expect other agencies
and government to pay for your re training – do it because
you are motivated. These skills will bring you closer to your
patients – it will feel like a partnership and I assure you will
feel more invigorated by your work.
5. Decide the minimum time you need to spend with patients.
For me this is 30 minutes. Of course there are also quick
consults – sore ears, skin rashes etc. But these cannot be
your bread and butter, and many of these quick consults can
be sorted by triage, or treated entirely by a nurse practitioner.
The doctor’s job should be to keep folk healthy through
teaching. The skills I mentioned above are only a stepping
stone to teaching patients skills they can incorporate into
their lives
6. I believe the doctor must opt out of any 3 rd party connections.
Insurance companies, accident schemes, even government
schemes are best avoided. I felt many years ago that these
issues should be between the patient and their insurer or
funder. The doctor should be freed up to doing what she or he
does best – and that is not filling in forms.
7. Remember you are a doctor with many years of seeing
thousands of patients. You your parents and the country have
invested thousands of dollars in your education . Time to take
full responsibility.
8. So become each patient’s advocate. Treat their needs
individually and uniquely. Guide them at their own pace. Refer
them only to other health professionals and specialists who
treat them with equal respect. If they have a serious illness,
help build a skilled, compassionate team around them
especially if they are alone.
1. The doctor must first acknowledge that the present system is
not working. It is being dictated to by untrained politicians
attracting votes rather than solutions. 24/7 subsidised virtual
consults with doctors and nurse practitioners you have never
met. Year long prescriptions etc. Services never getting to the
roots of peoples problem. Knee jerk reactions. Doctors
should veer away from such scrappy band aids.
2. Once they have made this observation they must decide how
they can make an honest, yet modest living from their new
improved practice. This will mean minimising overheads,
keep admin to a minimum. Rember why folk are coming to see
you. Patients are coming to see you for your skills, and for
nursing skills.
3. Doctors must invest in learning new skills other than just
prescribing. In the 1980s 400 GPs in New Zealand learned
acupuncture. More learned the art of joint manipulation. Many
were delivering babies. Many were doing minor surgery. Some
even homeopathy .I became a busy teacher of acupuncture to
doctors also nurses , physios, osteopaths etc. The demand
for this from doctors disappeared dramatically when the PHO
capitation system came in.
4. The doctor must decide which of these new skills is most
suited to their vision, passion and personality. Nutrition,
fitness and lifestyle advice, trauma work, meditation etc. As
well as the skills described .And don’t expect other agencies
and government to pay for your re training – do it because
you are motivated. These skills will bring you closer to your
patients – it will feel like a partnership and I assure you will
feel more invigorated by your work.
5. Decide the minimum time you need to spend with patients.
For me this is 30 minutes. Of course there are also quick
consults – sore ears, skin rashes etc. But these cannot be
your bread and butter, and many of these quick consults can
be sorted by triage, or treated entirely by a nurse practitioner.
The doctor’s job should be to keep folk healthy through
teaching. The skills I mentioned above are only a stepping
stone to teaching patients skills they can incorporate into
their lives
6. I believe the doctor must opt out of any 3 rd party connections.
Insurance companies, accident schemes, even government
schemes are best avoided. I felt many years ago that these
issues should be between the patient and their insurer or
funder. The doctor should be freed up to doing what she or he
does best – and that is not filling in forms.
7. Remember you are a doctor with many years of seeing
thousands of patients. You your parents and the country have
invested thousands of dollars in your education . Time to take
full responsibility.
8. So become each patient’s advocate. Treat their needs
individually and uniquely. Guide them at their own pace. Refer
them only to other health professionals and specialists who
treat them with equal respect. If they have a serious illness,
help build a skilled, compassionate team around them
especially if they are alone.
