MAUREEN PUGH
The recent news that there were times when there is no emergency doctor cover for the Buller District point to a practical example of a new health system that is broken from its outset.
Until July this year we had twenty District Health Boards but Health New Zealand is now our new crown health agency. This current Government decided that our health system had become too complicated for our small nation. There was initial optimism, but following our health system’s biggest shake-up in a very long time, the outcomes in this region are less than acceptable.
National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti recently returned to the Northland medical centre where he used to be a GP to find a clinic bulging at the seams, doctors working up to 70 hours a week and former colleagues left feeling devastated about their future.
I can understand the stress of not being able to get medical attention when needed. A recent situation with a close family member demonstrated this: unable to see a doctor, they waited five hours at A & E before giving up and going home and eventually, after precious days had passed, was diagnosed with a serious and life-threatening illness.
It was not that long ago that I had a direct line to DHB Members: local people who were elected by the communities they understood and served well. Now that DHBs have gone, all health decisions are made by this mega agency called Health NZ. I will continue to lobby for local services, but that will be after I work out who or where I should approach in this huge organisation.. Trust me, it’s not easy. I have recently written to the Minister of Health on behalf of local people desperate for urgent help and so far no response at all.
The stresses on our frontline health professionals are at a point where patients are at risk. Life and death stories are becoming all too common so what will make a difference here?– we could always send a road map to Health NZ to point out the huge distances between hospitals but in more practical terms relaxing vaccine mandates will relieve some pressure for sure. Unlocking the immigration policies to allow more doctors and nurses into our country needs to happen right now to have any effect due to long lead times. Covid testing prior to starting shifts is a simple way to protect both patients and other staff and this would allow staff who have been stood down to return to work more quickly.
Our doctors, nurses and their patients need help now. I will continue to ask questions on local health issues until I receive the answers and assurances we all deserve.
