Medical specialists ditching public health system: Data
The new data from the Medical Council and released by the senior doctors' union tracks the distribution of medical specialists between public and private work between 2022 and 2024. Association for Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton spoke to Charlotte Cook.
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RNZ News
42 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Russian-born man who was adopted as child loses ACC appeal as injury occurred before immigrating
Photo: Supplied A child who was assaulted in Russia before his adoption into New Zealand has been declined cover for mental injury by ACC in the Court of Appeal. The child, referred to as D in the recent decision by Justice Susan Thomas, was born in Russia in August 2001 and was a Russian citizen when he was physically assaulted as a young child. In August 2004, D was adopted by New Zealanders and emigrated to New Zealand. In November 2019, D was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) attributed to the physical injuries he suffered in Russia. He applied for ACC cover, and was declined - a decision that was confirmed on review in February 2020 - because the personal injury had not been suffered locally. The decision to decline cover was appealed in the district court, which ruled ACC should have approved D's cover, because the mental injury resulting from those physical injuries was suffered in New Zealand. That decision was then appealed in the High Court, and upheld, before escalating to the Court of Appeal. Now, the Court of Appeal has set aside that decision, ruling D is not covered by ACC, as "the causative physical injury did not occur in New Zealand and D was not ordinarily resident in New Zealand at the time he was physically injured". Thomas wrote in her decision that causation was the "primary consideration" as "it is the physical injury which is the root of the mental injury". "When D suffered the physical injuries which caused his mental injury, he was neither in New Zealand nor ordinarily resident in New Zealand. It follows that D does not have cover under the Act." She said that interpretation was "consistent with the overarching purpose of the Act, focused as it is on enhancing the public good and reinforcing the personal injury social contract between New Zealanders". "The Act cannot be interpreted as intending to provide cover for injuries caused overseas to people who are not ordinarily resident in New Zealand. Such an approach would mean the scheme was required to fund the consequences of events outside its jurisdiction and over which it could have no influence." The decision made no orders as to costs. ACC's deputy chief executive corporate and finance, Stewart McRobie, said in a statement: "ACC was seeking clarification of the law and acknowledges the Court of Appeal's decision." "ACC acknowledges the impact of the decision on the claimant, and empathises with them and their family." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Pharmacy owners call on Government to take 'urgent' action after baby's death
CAPTION: Bellamere Duncan's parents are calling for a law change that would make it mandatory for medication to be checked by two people before it is dispensed. Photo: 123RF CAPTION: Bellamere Duncan died at Starship Hospital on July 19. Photo: Supplied Pharmacy owners have written to the Government calling for "urgent" action, warning "lives are at stake" following the death of a two-month-old baby after she was allegedly given medication at an adult dosage by a pharmacy. "We owe it to this child - and to every New Zealander - to fix a system that is failing," one pharmacy owner said. It comes after RNZ revealed Bellamere Arwyn Duncan died at Starship Hospital on 19 July . The two-month-old was allegedly given an adult dosage of phosphate by a Manawatū pharmacy. A coroner's preliminary opinion is she died from phosphate toxicity. The revelations have prompted the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand to "urgently" undertake a joint review into the incident with Medsafe visiting the pharmacy to ensure it was safe to continue operating. The Pharmacy Council, which is also investigating, said it's "clear that an awful error has occurred". Bellamere's parents are calling for a law change that would make it mandatory for medication to be checked by two people before it is dispensed. Pharmacist Annabel Turley, owner of in Christchurch, earlier told RNZ the pharmacy workforce was under "immense pressure" , adding both the current government and the last had "been dishing out pharmacy licences like lollies". Turley wrote to several ministers including former Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in October last year. "I write to bring to your urgent attention the critical workforce shortages that are endangering the sustainability of pharmacy services across the country," she said. Turley warned the profession was "at a tipping point". "Pharmacists have been front-line healthcare providers for years, offering critical services such as medication management, vaccinations, and health advice, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many pharmacies are under immense pressure without sufficient staffing, and our ability to maintain these essential services is seriously jeopardised." She called for an "immediate moratorium" on issuing new licences for greenfield pharmacy sites until the workforce situation was addressed. "Opening new pharmacy sites in the current climate only exacerbates the strain on an already overstretched workforce. Without adequate staff, these new pharmacies will struggle to function, and existing pharmacies will be further depleted of resources, spreading our already thin workforce even more thinly." CAPTION: Bellamere Duncan's parents were allegedly given an adult dosage of phosphate by the pharmacy. Photo: Supplied On Thursday, Turley sent another letter to the Prime Minister, Health Minister Simeon Brown and other politicians. In the letter, seen by RNZ, Turley said since her letter the profession had seen "no significant improvement in workforce stability". She said Bellamere Duncan's death was "not an isolated incident". "It is a symptom of a workforce under immense pressure-burned out, short-staffed, and stretched to breaking point. "Pharmacists are no longer able to guarantee safe, consistent care in all circumstances. As one of the few remaining accessible front-line health services in many communities, this is not just a pharmacy problem-it is a public safety issue." Turley said, unless "bold steps are taken", including an immediate halt on new greenfield pharmacy licences, there would be "more preventable tragedies like this one". "We owe it to this child - and to every New Zealander - to fix a system that is failing," she said. "Lives are at stake. Let's not allow another preventable tragedy to occur." Turley welcomed the opportunity to meet with the ministers to discuss solutions "to this crisis". "We all want a pharmacy sector that is safe, sustainable, and resilient-and we need your leadership now more than ever to make that happen." Bellamere Duncan's parents were allegedly given an adult dosage of phosphate by the pharmacy. Photo: Supplied Another pharmacy owner and pharmacist, Anna Hewitt, wrote to Brown, Luxon and other ministers on Wednesday. "Last week, our worst fear took place. A baby lost its life as a direct result of this Crisis. The critical workforce shortage has endangered the sustainability of Pharmacy in NZ and now it is having direct consequences on our Patients." Hewitt said the workforce was "stretched, it is overworked, and close to burnout". "This is not just a workforce issue, it is a Public Health Crisis. Pharmacists and Pharmacies are highly specialized, and the first point of call for many patients who cannot access timely health services. "We dispense and catch prescribing errors, we advise both other health professionals and the public on medication use, we vaccinate, we treat, we prescribe in many cases. But we are not superhuman, we cannot continue like this with no support." Hewitt referenced Turley's letter from last year. "I know firsthand that other Pharmacists from around the country have also written letters to call for action within the sector. These calls have fallen on deaf ears as it seems." She said the Government had added Pharmacists to the immigration green list and opened a new pharmacy school at the University of Waikato, which while they were steps in the right direction, they were "medium- and long-term solutions to a problem which is in immediate crisis". "This isn't just numbers, this isn't just words on a page, this is real lives, real patients, real pharmacists who are desperately trying to hold it together, and care for their patients. The human face of this crisis is Bellamere Arwyn Duncan." Hewitt called for the Government to stop issuing new pharmacy site licences and to look closely at how pharmacies were funded. "We owe it to this beloved child that was lost, we owe it to all New Zealanders, we need to fix a system that is failing." Pharmacists have written to health minister Simeon Brown to voice their concerns. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER On Wednesday, a Ministry of Health spokesperson told RNZ there were a number of investigations underway. "Medsafe has completed an urgent assessment and is comfortable there is no immediate patient safety issue at the pharmacy. Medsafe will continue to work with Health New Zealand and these findings which will inform the information provided to the Coroner. Medsafe is also sharing information with the Pharmacy Council. "Once these reviews are completed, we will be able to look at next steps." Health Minister Simeon Brown told RNZ on Monday he raised the incident with the Director-General of Health as soon as he was made aware. "She assured me that there would be an investigation undertaken by both the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand. That investigation is underway. "I am advised that this incident has led to Medsafe undertaking an urgent assessment of the pharmacy. A further investigation is being undertaken by the Pharmacy Council, and the death is also the subject of a Coroner's inquest." Health agencies would provide information to the coroner as needed to support the inquest. "It is important that the reviews are undertaken, and that the circumstances that led to this incident are understood. I expect that these investigations may propose recommendations, and that these will be reviewed once reports are complete." The Pharmacy Council said it was unable to comment further when asked by RNZ on Monday whether it supported calls for a law change. "Our enquiry and investigation processes are currently underway and, until these are complete, we cannot provide any further details. At the end of the process, we will make any recommended changes to ensure as best as possible an event like this does not happen again." The owner of the Manawatū pharmacy that dispensed the medication said in a statement to RNZ the baby's death was "a tragedy". "Our sympathy is with the family and whānau. This is a very difficult time. "We are looking into what has happened to try to understand how this took place. There will also be external reviews which we will work with." RNZ asked the owner how the medication was given at the wrong dosage, whether they disputed the allegations, when the pharmacy became aware the wrong dosage had been given, and what confidence people could have about other medication received from the pharmacy. The owner said the pharmacy was "devastated about what has happened and are investigating to find out how this occurred". "It is not appropriate to comment further at this stage." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Nurses' strike: 4300 patient appointments, procedures postponed
More than 36,000 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants walked off the job on Wednesday. Photo: Wallace Chapman Health NZ has work underway to rebook about 4300 patient appointments and procedures, which had to be postponed due to the 24-hour nurses' strike. More than 36,000 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants - frustrated by what they say is Health NZ's refusal to commit to safe staffing levels in their collective agreement - walked off the job until 9am Thursday . Health NZ chief executive Dr Dale Bramley said the impact varied by hospital, depending on acute demand and the number of Nurses Organisation members who actually took strike action. "Despite heavy winter occupancy in some areas, our hospitals got through the strike without any serious incidents, which is a testament to all those staff and volunteers who provided support," he said. "While the strike lasted 24 hours, an enormous amount of planning work went on beforehand and there is a lot more work to do now the strike has finished." An estimated 4300 planned procedures and specialist appointments had to be deferred because of the strike, he said. "We remain very concerned about the significant number of patients who have had much-needed treatment deferred due to the strike. New appointments for those patients will be scheduled as soon as possible." Meanwhile, Health NZ was committed to getting a deal with the Nurses Organisation , and remained "completely committed to patient and staff safety", Bramley said. "We have more nurses working for Health NZ than ever before. "In the two years to March 2025, our nursing FTE increased by over 3000, turnover has dropped from 13.3 percent to 8.2 percent and our vacancy rate is now at a six-year low of 3.6 percent." The New Zealand Nurse Organisation has been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
