The Good Doctor

The Good Doctor is the inspiring autobiography of Lance O’Sullivan, a Maori GP.

He became despondent about the way the health provider he was working for did not meet the needs of their patients. Some were turned away because they couldn’t pay. This motivated him to set up his own clinic in Kaitaia where a high percentage of his patients are Maori. He has made it his life’s mission to provide more caring and accessible health care and to acknowledge and respect their cultural backgrounds.

Lance knows what it is like to be poor. He was the child of an alcoholic Maori father and a Pakeha solo mother who did her best to provide her children with a decent life and education.

But he became an angry and rebellious teen and was expelled from several schools until as a last resort his mother took him to Hato Petera College on Auckland’s North Shore which fortunately accepted him as a boarder. It was here that he discovered what was missing in his life: his Maori culture. He credits this school for turning his life around.

When he was 20 he had a short relationship with Tracy who was also Maori but unlike Lance her family life was stable with parents who were well off. She became pregnant. Although both were still very young they decided to stay together and keep the baby.

Tracy brought stability and happiness into his life and supported him through his struggles to qualify as a doctor. Together they have raised seven children. To be the kind of loving father he had longed for, but never had, was incredibly important to Lance.

As well as establishing his Kaitaia clinic Lance has developed other programmes. One of his success stories, based on his belief that providing health checks in schools is one of the best ways to grow healthy children, is the Kaitaia MOKO programme. His clinic staff visits all the local primary schools three times a week to check kids out for Strep A (which can lead to rheumatic fever) as well as for skin infections and head lice. Thanks to charity Kids Can they are able to hand out basic medication kits comprising plasters, sanitiser, tissues, and nit combs and head lice treatments.

Another innovative programme he devised is vMoko (virtual Moko) to treat kids who have skin infections in remote areas. This is a digital way to enable his Kaitaia clinic to span the geographic gap by using smart devices and a specially designed app. These can capture information about each skin infection and send it back to the clinic where it can be diagnosed and treatment prescribed.

But while an individual doctor and his team can be a power of good in their own community, the issue of child poverty, and its associated health problems needs to be addressed at the national level.

Lance feels strongly that child poverty is a huge issue, is multi-layered and will take years to resolve. It needs agreement across the political parties.

I found The Good Doctor incredibly inspiring and a great read. Good also that all the royalties from this book will be given the MOKO Foundation, supporting high-needs families and communities.

Title: The Good Doctor

Author: Lance O’Sullivan Publisher: Penguin NZ
RRP $38.00