A concerning healthcare trend finds more Kiwis unable to access specialist care, leaving GPs to manage cases without extra resources. 

Otago University has found between 2018 and 2022, the risk of being declined referred specialist services increased significantly, by 5.2%.  

General Practice New Zealand chair Bryan Betty told Mike Hosking that the threshold seems to be changing. 

He says the bar to get in to see a specialist seems to be rising, based on the fact there's not enough capacity in the hospital to see patients. 

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