As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

And in the context of our health system, prevention looks like a strong primary care service that’s focused on keeping you healthy and out of the emergency department. The problem is though, Primary Care, as we know it, is broken.

Our current funding model has driven GP practices to the brink of insolvency. Many are forced to close down or are selling out to profit driven corporates, who want to make your sickness work for their shareholders. By overenrolling patients and pushing doctors to see more people in a day, we will see a two tier Primary health care service beginning to form. Where the days of knowing your local GP might be reserved for those that can afford the premium service.

And at the same time, our fascination with medical specialists has relegated the humble medical generalist to the bottom of the pile. Fewer and fewer doctors are interested in pursuing pathways in generalist fields and instead are opting for more lucrative, but highly niche specialties. We know how important primary care is for keeping people healthy, but why aren’t we prioritising it? It seems like we have things backwards.

On the latest episode of Revolving Door Syndrome, I kōrero with the energetic power duo that is Dr Marcia Walker (Whakatōhea/Ngāti Porou) and Dr Buzz Burrell. Both passionate about the power of primary care, brimming with real ideas about how we can tackle these issues head on.

Cults have come and gone but for the survivors, the trauma remains. Most every day people think that they'd be immune to a cult and could never fall for something as silly as a cult.

The reality is that anyone can end up falling into a cult willingly or unwillingly whether as an adult or child. It is important that we equip ourselves with the skills to identify cult-like behaviours before we fall into the worst kind of echo chamber of groupthink.

This is a reminder for us to not take freedom of expression and freedom of speech for granted. We must extend our empathy to survivors and people who are still in these cults where informed concept becomes a foreign concept.

Joining me on this episode is Dr Caroline Ansley where we deep dive into the cultiverse and learn about the madness of groupthink and coercive control.

How have we ended up in both a housing and productivity crisis?

Why can't we seem to just get on with maintaining and building more housing and infrastructure?

Why does it feel like inequality is getting worse, not better?

Joining me on this episode of Revolving Door is Sam Stubbs, founder and CEO of simplicity, a not-for-profit kiwisaver and investment provider.

Late stage capitalism and an economy based on selling houses to each other is failing our younger generations. I ask Sam if it is possible to make capitalism work better for our young people. Us millenials and zoomers are struggling to get on the housing ladder. How easy is it to hold down a job when your landlord sells up your home? How easy is it for kids to get good education if they keep having to move schools? What effects will the stress of housing insecurity have on our health outcomes?

If we can't get housing right, can we really solve any of our other problems?