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Mayor's Message To Health Minister: Don't Go Down The Private Route

Scoop

3 days ago

Health
Scoop

Mayor's Message To Health Minister: Don't Go Down The Private Route

Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca has pleaded with the Health Minister to not allow the privatisation and Americanisation of New Zealand's healthcare system. Dr Luca, a research scientist and president of Whakatāne Grey Power, was granted a half hour to make his case to Health Minister Simeon Brown in Auckland on Thursday. He was joined in his meeting by fellow Whakatāne Grey Power members, Raewyn Kingsley-Smith, Suzanne Williams, Vern Scheffer and Catrina Jones. Dr Luca has been seeking the meeting since April. 'I was blown over because I wasn't expecting a response,' Dr Luca said. Before the meeting, he told Local Democracy Reporting he would be asking Mr Brown not to take the route toward privatisation. 'We do not want a health system that in any way resembles what goes on in the United States, where the health service is dominated by private businesses,' Dr Luca said. He said there was a widening gap between health services for the 35 percent of New Zealanders who could afford health insurance and the 65 percent who couldn't. 'We are definitely headed towards a two-tiered system like they have in the United States. Mr Brown said his priority was ensuring all NewZealanders had access to timely, quality healthcare. "New Zealanders don't care who does their operation – they just want it done, and done quickly," he said. He said he greatly valued the opportunity to meet with local mayors and to discuss the health issues that mattered most in their communities. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading Dr Luca asked Mr Brown for 'definitive proof" that privatisation would improve economic outcomes and benefit patient outcomes. He said he had put the same question to the Ministry of Health several years ago, which said it was not privatising the health system. Since then, he said his research showed New Zealand was headed down a track toward privatisation. 'I've got the proof that they are,' Dr Luca said. In 2023, he made requests under the Official Information Act to all District Health Boards asking for a breakdown of full-time equivalent staff numbers in the public and private sectors. The data he received, which dated back to only 2020, showed a 30 percent increase in privatisation in some fields over the three years. The specialties that had the highest levels of privatisation were sports medicine, general practice, muscoloskeletal medicine and urgent care. After Thursday's meeting, Dr Luca said Mr Brown had not denied privatisation but was not able to provide the proof he sought that privatisation had economic or patient outcome benefits. He said they emphasised the equity issue. 'We can only hope our little gambit has made him think a bit more about the equity issue and the plight of all those people who don't have insurance.' The Whakatāne deputation also addressed the issue of operation waiting lists with the minister. Dr Luca recounted his experience of having to wait over a month for an appointment to see his GP. Grey Power's Ms Kingsley Smith told the minister about struggling for five years with hip pain before receiving a referral to a specialist, her year-long wait to see one, and her current wait, possibly for another year, to receive a hip replacement surgery. 'It is devastating to be placed on a waiting list to see a specialist or surgeon and be laughed at when you ask for your appointment date,' she said. ''Ha ha, it won't be inside a year',' she was told. After seeking help for a sore hip that had deteriorated since an injury 11 years ago, she said the latest X-ray CT results clearly showed there was no ball left on the right hip joint. 'My only hope is surgery and it's urgent. If it can't be done in time for me to make a good recovery, I think I will have to sell up and go into care.' Mr Brown said the Government's Elective Boost programme meant thousands more New Zealanders were getting the procedures they needed sooner. "Making full use of both public and private capacity is critical to reducing waitlists," he said. Whakatāne Grey Power has been pushing the issue of health care for the past five years. In 2022, the group put a remit together to the New Zealand Federation of Grey Power to put pressure on the Government on better health services. Dr Luca has used his mayoral office to address the issue as well, holding an online Community Health Forum with national health experts in Whakatāne District Council chambers in Feburary. He initiated the setting up a health equity advocacy committee within the council with input from local health providers. Dr Luca also wrote to the minister on behalf of the council to express the community's concern at the removal of the secondary maternity services at Whakatāne Hospital. At yesterday's meeting, he thanked Mr Brown for his support in that matter and for financing more doctor training. 'I think in terms of workforce, they are trying to get more doctors through the pipeline but you're not going to be seeing them for another 10 or 12 years.'

Otago Daily Times

23-05-2025

Health
Otago Daily Times

Further cuts slammed

Cutting rehabilitation beds in the new Dunedin hospital inpatient building by more than half could have drastic consequences for the ageing population, the leader of the nurses' union says. After months of speculation, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) yesterday released the breakdown in bed numbers upon opening of the project compared with the original detailed business case. It included previously flagged cuts to ICU and mental health for older people, and also revealed the number of rehabilitation beds have been cut from 40 to 16. The cuts have been slammed by New Zealand Nurses' Organisation president Anne Daniels, who said it had been part of a broader pattern of "drip-feeding" bad news throughout. "I know for a fact that those rehab beds are absolutely crucial because as we grow older, we're more likely to have events or have strokes. "If those beds are not there, the people that are required to provide that rehab will not be hired and the service will not be able to be delivered to meet the needs of the people." In January, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced the new Dunedin hospital would have fewer beds compared with the existing hospital and the previously approved business case. But he did not provide a detailed breakdown of where the cuts were going to occur. However, there were two more surgical beds (237) than proposed in the detailed business case, with further capacity for an additional 26 beds. In total, there will be 371 beds upon opening compared with 420 beds in the business case — although many departments have capacity to expand over time, with the total capacity of 424 beds. Most of the cuts have been justified by HNZ discovering a new way of modelling healthcare late last year, which has now been explained in the document. "Health New Zealand now uses a consistent nationwide approach to demand and capacity modelling for hospital and specialty services, moving from 20 different approaches to planning under the former District Health Boards to one approach," the document says. "Previously this resulted in significant national variation across health facility planning and design including ICU and other bed numbers. "Applying the new modelling to [the new hospital] has resulted in about the same number of beds but a change in the mix of bed types required, for example decreased ICU beds and increased medical surgical beds." Ms Daniels said her organisation could not believe the model could change so quickly. "Over many years, hundreds of clinical staff have been involved in the development of the design [of the new Dunedin hospital]. "Over a very short period of six months, suddenly that model has changed "There has been no evidence provided to the public, and dare I say, the council, that I know of, that actually justifies those changes." Clinical Transformation Group chairwoman Dr Sheila Barnett said the design of the hospital had been informed by updated and standardised bed modelling for regional hospitals. The group had not been informed of the new modelling until HNZ presented them with it late last year. This was during a period when the government was deliberating over whether to press ahead with a scaled-back version of the hospital at the former Cadbury's site, or retrofit the existing hospital. "We are comfortable with the build going forward because all floor area of the hospital will be built," Dr Barnett said. "We know that, acknowledging the inherent uncertainties with any modelling, the NDH can accommodate both the old modelling and the new. "At this stage, the areas indicated for fit-out on opening align with the new modelling and align with the budget. As time goes on, including before opening, and the need becomes clearer, more areas can be fitted out. "This will need additional resource." The group had many discussions about the final design. "I think if we didn't have that future fit-out space, then we would be less comfortable." Former head of the emergency department Dr John Chambers said he was cynical about the approach taken. "I have never heard of a 'new national point of care modelling' process or formula. "So there ... [seems to be] a bit of randomness and perhaps a heavy reliance on more use of day beds than even the new modelling proposes." Clinical laboratory scientist Terry Taylor said there was still no mention of a pathology building in the plans. "Like I have constantly said, this will be the first new hospital in the Western world without an on-site [on-precinct] pathology laboratory intertwined into the hospital infrastructure. "I guess maybe the minister for health is hoping that AI and digital advances by 2029 will alleviate the need for blood and tissue analysis for patient 24 hours/seven days a week care."

Health NZ on $130 million pay roll patch up

RNZ News

12-05-2025

Health
RNZ News

Health NZ on $130 million pay roll patch up

Checkpoint has discovered Te Whatu Ora has spent more than 130 million dollars remediating payroll problems and that doesn't include the cost of repaying wages. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Dr Mike Shepherd, Health New Zealand's Acting Deputy Chief Executive Northern Region spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.

Health NZ has spent more $130 million fixing issues