Pacific news in brief for 8 August
NASA/LEONELLO CALVETTI/SCIENCE P
China has thrown its support behind the Fiji Prime Minister's 'Ocean of Peace' initiative.
Speaking during the Chinese Army Day reception in Suva last week, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian said China is firmly committed to an independent foreign policy of peace.
Fiji media reported him saying some forces have hyped up the claim that China is establishing military bases in Pacific island countries - something he says is a false narrative, a distortion of China's strategic intentions, and is completely groundless.
Samoa's acting general health director Tagaloa Dr Robert Thomsen has been looking for volunteers to help with nation-wide dengue fumigation.
More than 5000 people have been clinically diagnosed with dengue in the country since January.
Tagaloa said with only 15 teams of four people they've had to ask other ministries for help.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is sending a small health team and $300,000 worth of medical supplies to Samoa to assist.
The United Nations has urged Australia to halt plans to deport a man to Nauru while it investigates the human rights implications of his case.
Australia has been trying to deport three people in exchange for an undisclosed payment, but their removal has been stalled due to court challenges.
The men, one of whom has a prior murder conviction, were among a group of hundreds released into the community following the High Court's 2023 ruling that their indefinite detention was unlawful.
The United Nations' Human Rights Committee wrote to the Australian government last week requesting the deportation of one of the trio be halted while they consider his complaint to the body, which was submitted days earlier.
It cannot compel the government to follow its direction, which it issued as an interim measure while the matter is under investigation.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the site of an under-construction Fred Hollows eye repair facility in Papua New Guinea in his brief trip this week.
Work on the PNG Centre for Eye Health in Port Moresby has been going on since November last year.
New Zealand has contributed NZ$18.9 million towards the construction.
Once completed, it will be the first purpose-built facility in PNG dedicated to both delivering eye care services and training eye health professionals.
Meanwhile, PNG's prime minister has acknowledged the support from Aotearoa on the peace process between PNG and Bougainville.
The
Post-Courier
reported James Marape saying as far as Bougainville is concerned, New Zealand has been one of their biggest supporters and a helping hand.
As Bougainville looks to establish its economic bona fides, it is seeking outside investment in a wide array of activities.
Bougainville wants to become independent of Papua New Guinea but the PNG Government has stressed that it needs to show it can economically survive on its own.
The Autonomous Bougainville Government's chief secretary, Kearnneth Nanei, said they are looking for investors into mineral exploration, starting with the Panguna Mine.
Nanei also told the conference there are applications in for 20 other mineral exploration licences across Bougainville.
Nanei said Bougainville is also looking at sustainable energy development, including solar mini-grids and hydro power.
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Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
NZ's failing heart care 'on the verge of collapse'
New Zealand has only a third of the cardiologists it should have. Half of all heart attack patients are not being treated within accepted timeframes in New Zealand, which has just a third of the cardiologists it needs, according to a new University of Otago report commissioned by cardiac advocacy charity Kia Manawanui Trust. For the first time, the total cost of heart disease to the New Zealand economy has been calculated at an estimated $13.8 billion a year. Trust chief executive Letitia Harding said the findings exposed a system that was failing at every level. "Heart care in New Zealand isn't just stretched - it's on the verge of collapse," she said. "We are failing in all aspects and it's costing New Zealanders their lives." Key findings from the Heart disease in Aotearoa: morbidity, mortality and service delivery report include: Life-threatening delays: Half of all heart-attack patients are not seen within internationally accepted timeframes Workforce shortage: New Zealand has only a third of the cardiologists it should have Māori and Pacific people hospitalised or die from heart disease more than a decade earlier, on average, than other New Zealanders Heart disease costs the country's health system and economy $13.8 billion per year Postcode lottery for care: Regions with the highest death rates - Tairāwhitii, Lakes, Whanganui, and Taranaki - have the fewest cardiac specialists Lucy Telfar-Barnard. Photo: University of Otago Wellington-based cardiologist and trust medical director Dr Sarah Fairley said the findings by Otago researcher Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard matched the experience of front-line clinicians. "From inside the system, I can tell you that this report reflects what we see every day - a workforce stretched beyond safe limits, patients slipping through the cracks and no end in sight." Harding said the report should be "a wake-up call for the government". The trust is calling for immediate investment in public hospital cardiac care infrastructure - beds and equipment - and a national strategy to recruit and retain cardiology staff. The total cost of heart disease deaths in 2020 was $13.09b, from 74,708 life years lost. In 2024, New Zealand had 173.2 full-time cardiologists or 32.8 FTE per million people. That is three times lower than the average (95 specialists per million) of all countries measured by the European Society of Cardiology. Ministry data showed no cardiac staff at all in Wairarapa or Whanganui, no cardiologists or sonographers/cardiac physiologists in Lakes, West Coast or Souther Canterbury, and no cardiologists in Tairāwhiti. With 96.3 full-time cardiologists per million, Auckland was the only city with comparable number of specialists to European countries. Waikato (47.5 FTE per million) was half the European average, while others were much less, ranging from 21.4 to 27. The number of cardiology sonographers had dropped from 70.4 in 2013 to just 43.5 in 2024, despite the 17% population increase. The ratio of sonographers had nearly halved from 16 per million to 8.2. Heart disease was responsible for one in five deaths and five percent of hospital admissions. The cost of heart disease: Hospitalisations cost an estimated $538,790,541 a year Work days lost $17,996,766 GP visits $65,166,640 Prescriptions $61,906,660 Mortality $13,094,819,487 Total: $13,778,680,094 These were minimum costs, as they did not include the cost of emergency department visits, nor indirect costs of workdays lost to emergency department and outpatient visits, nor years lost to disability. In a statement, Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government expected Health New Zealand to have a continued focus on strengthening cardiac services nationwide. He said the report highlighted several key areas Health New Zealand must act on, including addressing regional variations in service quality and patient outcomes. "I have been advised that Health New Zealand has established a National Clinical Cardiac Network which is developing national standards and models of care, while also establishing dedicated work streams to ensure consistent, quality care. "This includes funding for new training positions for cardiac sonographers - a key workforce needed to bring down the echocardiogram waitlist."
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Heart care in NZ 'failing in all aspects'
New Zealand has only a third of the cardiologists it should have. Half of all heart attack patients are not being treated within accepted timeframes in New Zealand, which has just a third of the cardiologists it needs, according to a new University of Otago report commissioned by cardiac advocacy charity Kia Manawanui Trust. For the first time, the total cost of heart disease to the New Zealand economy has been calculated at an estimated $13.8 billion a year. Trust chief executive Letitia Harding said the findings exposed a system that was failing at every level. "Heart care in New Zealand isn't just stretched - it's on the verge of collapse," she said. "We are failing in all aspects and it's costing New Zealanders their lives." Key findings from the Heart disease in Aotearoa: morbidity, mortality and service delivery report include: Life-threatening delays: Half of all heart-attack patients are not seen within internationally accepted timeframes Workforce shortage: New Zealand has only a third of the cardiologists it should have Māori and Pacific people hospitalised or die from heart disease more than a decade earlier, on average, than other New Zealanders Heart disease costs the country's health system and economy $13.8 billion per year Postcode lottery for care: Regions with the highest death rates - Tairāwhitii, Lakes, Whanganui, and Taranaki - have the fewest cardiac specialists Lucy Telfar-Barnard. Photo: University of Otago Wellington-based cardiologist and trust medical director Dr Sarah Fairley said the findings by Otago researcher Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard matched the experience of front-line clinicians. "From inside the system, I can tell you that this report reflects what we see every day - a workforce stretched beyond safe limits, patients slipping through the cracks and no end in sight." Harding said the report should be "a wake-up call for the government". The trust is calling for immediate investment in public hospital cardiac care infrastructure - beds and equipment - and a national strategy to recruit and retain cardiology staff. The total cost of heart disease deaths in 2020 was $13.09b, from 74,708 life years lost. In 2024, New Zealand had 173.2 full-time cardiologists or 32.8 FTE per million people. That is three times lower than the average (95 specialists per million) of all countries measured by the European Society of Cardiology. Ministry data showed no cardiac staff at all in Wairarapa or Whanganui, no cardiologists or sonographers/cardiac physiologists in Lakes, West Coast or Souther Canterbury, and no cardiologists in Tairāwhiti. With 96.3 full-time cardiologists per million, Auckland was the only city with comparable number of specialists to European countries. Waikato (47.5 FTE per million) was half the European average, while others were much less, ranging from 21.4 to 27. The number of cardiology sonographers had dropped from 70.4 in 2013 to just 43.5 in 2024, despite the 17% population increase. The ratio of sonographers had nearly halved from 16 per million to 8.2. Heart disease was responsible for one in five deaths and five percent of hospital admissions. The cost of heart disease: Hospitalisations cost an estimated $538,790,541 a year Work days lost $17,996,766 GP visits $65,166,640 Prescriptions $61,906,660 Mortality $13,094,819,487 Total: $13,778,680,094 These were minimum costs, as they did not include the cost of emergency department visits, nor indirect costs of workdays lost to emergency department and outpatient visits, nor years lost to disability. In a statement, Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government expected Health New Zealand to have a continued focus on strengthening cardiac services nationwide. He said the report highlighted several key areas Health New Zealand must act on, including addressing regional variations in service quality and patient outcomes. "I have been advised that Health New Zealand has established a National Clinical Cardiac Network which is developing national standards and models of care, while also establishing dedicated work streams to ensure consistent, quality care. "This includes funding for new training positions for cardiac sonographers - a key workforce needed to bring down the echocardiogram waitlist."
1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
NZ heart healthcare system 'on verge of collapse', report warns
New Zealand's heart healthcare system has been described as having "deep flaws", "failing in all aspects", and being "on the verge of collapse" according to a damning new report. The Heart Disease in Aotearoa: Morbidity, Mortality, and Service Delivery report released this morning was commissioned by The Heart of Aotearoa – Kia Manawanui Trust and prepared by the University of Otago. It found that heart disease accounted for 5% of hospital admissions and 20% of deaths in New Zealand. Māori and Pacific people were disproportionately affected, dying on average a decade earlier than other ethnic groups. Around one-fifth of New Zealanders were currently taking heart-related medication. Another finding was that heart disease cost the country $13.8 billion annually, factoring in hospitalisations, prescriptions, primary care, premature deaths, and lost productivity. Heart disease accounted for 5% of hospital admissions and 20% of deaths in New Zealand. (Source: ADVERTISEMENT In 2024, Ministry of Health data showed New Zealand had 173.2 full-time cardiologists, or 32.8 per million, well below the European average of 95 per million. Auckland was the only region close to that benchmark. Several districts, including Tairāwhiti, Lakes, and Whanganui, had no cardiologists or cardiac staff at all according the Ministry data, but the Medical Council reported significantly higher numbers. "This contrasting data shows that the Ministry of Health is not tracking cardiac staffing levels accurately. It is therefore unclear how the Ministry of Health proposes to address cardiac staffing inadequacies when it is unaware of their extent," the report read. Kia Manawanui Trust chief executive Letitia Harding said the report pointed to a system under severe strain. "Heart care in New Zealand isn't just stretched, it's on the verge of collapse. We are failing on all aspects, and it's costing New Zealanders their lives." Māori and Pacific communities die ten years younger on average from heart disease than other ethnic groups. (Source: The trust's medical director Dr Sarah Fairley, a Wellington-based cardiologist, said the findings matched up with what frontline clinicians were seeing daily. ADVERTISEMENT "From inside the system, I can tell you that this report reflects what we see every day: a workforce stretched beyond safe limits, patients slipping through the cracks, and no end in sight." Recommendations from the report included urgent action and investment in cardiology staffing and infrastructure in the Midland and Central regions to ensure equitable access to care. It called for prioritising recruitment and retention of cardiac specialists in high-need areas, establishing a dedicated fund to train and employ 15 new cardiac sonographers annually, and requiring hospital bosses to promptly replace and advertise cardiac roles. The report also urged Health New Zealand to maintain a national record of cardiac staff and expand bed capacity in tertiary hospitals to reduce treatment delays. Health NZ committed to equitable cardiac service In response to the report's findings, Health NZ cardiac network co-lead Cara Wasywich said the organisation was committed to equitable access to cardiac services for all New Zealanders regardless of where they lived. "We accept that levels of heart disease hospitalisation and mortality rates vary in some parts of the country, which is why the National Clinical Cardiac Network was set up. ADVERTISEMENT "The Network is focussed on addressing variations in service quality and patient outcomes, by developing national standards and models of care, as well as establishing dedicated work streams to ensure consistent, quality care." Health NZ acknowledged growing its senior doctor and specialist doctor workforce could be a challenge in some areas and specialities. "Health New Zealand remains committed to retaining and growing our permanent medical workforce."
