Health Minister Tony Ryall says rural areas are getting the help they need to continue providing core services.

An extra 100 paramedic staff have been added to ambulance rosters across the country, meaning rural towns such as Kaitaia, Te Kuiti and Thames have 24/7 cover.

Mr Ryall says recent high profile cases have highlighted the importance of such services.

"There have been some very high profile cases in rural areas in the news, and the message we’re getting from that is, the emergency response needs to be as good as it can.

"So what the Government has done, we’ve put our money where our mouth is, a hundred new paramedics are now across the country, providing better service, ambulance crews are running longer – we’ve got more 24 hour services than we’ve ever had before.

"We’re also giving volunteers a break because there’s more paid staff, and we’re also making sure that two staff turn up at a lot of incidents rather than one."

Mr Ryall says rural GP numbers are also being addressed.

The plight of Balclutha, where a chronic GP shortage has been in the spotlight, has been eased by the arrival of a doctor from Germany.

Mr Ryall says boosting numbers is a top priority for the Government.

"Things are pretty tight in the economy, people in rural areas of course know that, and that’s why we’re spending money as effectively as we can. Improving ambulance rosters is a key part of that.”