Army of health bureaucrats gets fatter

new-zealand-national-party

Wed Oct 24 2007 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Army of health bureaucrats gets fatter

Wednesday, 24 October 2007, 3:18 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Tony Ryall MP National Party Health Spokesman

24 October 2007

National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall says Pete Hodgson's army of health bureaucrats is getting fatter.

Mr Ryall has released figures showing the payroll at the Ministry of Health has rocketed by 55% in the past six years, with the average salary now $76,000 a year. At the same time staff numbers increased by 24%.

"On the basis of these sorts of figures it's little wonder that the public know that health services have not improved despite the extra $5 billion a year being spent on health."

Mr Ryall says compared with six years ago, twice as many Health Ministry officials are now being paid more than $100,000 a year.

"This is at a time when surgeons have to ask permission to buy a box of pens. Meanwhile, Mr Hodgson's Ministry is hiring more and more pen pushers on higher and higher salaries."

In a previous life, Helen Clark campaigned to cut a swathe through the 'costly, inefficient bureaucratic, top heavy structure' in the health service. She specifically said of the Health Ministry that 'never have so many people been employed to do so little'.

"Ms Clark was obviously crying crocodile tears.

"This information is shocking. It comes at a time when thousands of patients have been culled from hospital waiting lists, and people are being treated on trolleys in Emergency Department corridors.

"Unfortunately for Mr Hodgson, no amount of jiggery pokery will make these figures look good. The changes to health structures that Mr Hodgson likes to use as an excuse happened prior to 2002."

ENDS

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