Time to rethink how healthcare is funded for our most vulnerable

This suggestion from Bryan Betty, Medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs.

It follows a Waikato University study that's found homeless people die more than 30 years earlier than the general population.

Betty says healthcare funding needs to reflect the complex medical issues some rough sleepers have -- which GPs often don't have the time or resources to cater to.

He says expecting community medicine practitioners to cater to high-needs patients -- without the proper funding and support -- sees people go without the care they need.