Re-elected GenPro chair: “We’re only just getting going!”

The Board of the General Practice Owners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (GenPro), the only national representative body directly mandated by, and acting for contracted providers running general practice and urgent care centres across New Zealand, has re-elected Dr Tim Malloy as chair for the coming year.

Dr Tim Malloy, who has been GenPro chair since the Association’s launch in 2020, was unanimously re-elected as chair at the 8^th November meeting of the GenPro board of directors – which itself included two new elected Board directors – Dr Mary English and Dr Stephanie Taylor.

At the same meeting, Dr Angus Chambers was unanimously re-elected as GenPro’s deputy chair.

Announcing Dr Malloy and Dr Chamber’s re-appointment, GenPro’s chief executive, Philip Grant, says, “The board was unanimous in supporting the re-election of both Dr Malloy and Dr Chambers. The Board recognised GenPro’s strong and consistent leadership which was contributing to GenPro’s on-going membership growth and significant national profile”.

In accepting the nomination and his re-appointment as chair, Dr Malloy said, “GenPro has made good early progress and there is much more to be done in response to the significant crisis currently facing sustainable general practice and, in that regard, we are only just getting going. I am humbled that the GenPro Board have indicated their support for me to continue as chair and directly assist with this very important role that we have”.

GenPro’s re-elected deputy chair, Dr Angus Chambers, believed GenPro’s success was, in-part, due to the significant uncertainty facing the sector and said, “On top of years of historic underfunding, essential general practice services are now facing further pressure due to a significant health reform process which seems to prioritise additional tiers of management over the sustainability of front-line services for patients – GenPro appears to be the only voice for the providers of those essential services and that is increasingly being acknowledged by the growth in GenPro’s members”.

GenPro was only launched in April 2020 and yet its membership growth already includes providers encompassing approximately half of the country’s enrolled patients. That includes providers which are nurse-owned, iwi-owned, community trust-owned, corporate owned and, traditional GP owner-operated general practices.