GP practices are still struggling after the lockdown

An Auckland University study shows there's been an 84 per cent decrease in patients being seen and visits for chronic care.

Doctors also uniformly feel they haven't been able to address their patients' needs.

Professor Felicity Goodyear-Smith says a lot of people have been afraid of going to their doctors during the pandemic, and that's put a lot of financial strain on practices.

She says many are worried they won't be able to survive it because they often work on small margins.