Accelerator or brake? Health is not a toy Mr Ryall
new-zealand-labour-party
Fri Sep 25 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Accelerator or brake? Health is not a toy Mr Ryall
Friday, 25 September 2009, 12:12 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
24 September 2009
Media Statement
Accelerator or brake? Health is not a toy Mr Ryall
Minister of Health Tony Ryall’s latest attempt to dazzle the public with additional cardiac surgery figures in Auckland is unsustainable given the strange accelerator and brake signals he sends to health sector staff, Labour Health spokesperson Ruth Dyson says.
“I am delighted there has been an increase in cardiac surgery figures for Auckland but the health sector and the staff who work so hard in it are not toys.
“Rushing resources to one spot to get a good headline at the same time that you put the freeze on in others is disrespectful. The public health sector tries to deliver for ALL New Zealanders,” Ruth Dyson said.
“This confusing mix of accelerator and brake, reward and deprive, is sending alarm bells ringing through the sector. What is good news for Auckland people today should be seen in parallel with cuts elsewhere in the country and the reality of specialist cardiac staff leaving New Zealand as they face a 5-year salary freeze.
“In the May Budget I pointed out there was no allowance for salary increases for health workers or for increasing numbers of frontline health workers. By June Mr Ryall confirmed that there will be no increases in salaries for frontline health workers.
“In August, with his State Services hat on, Mr Ryall meddled in pay negotiations in the education sector and yesterday Bill English confirmed the country's 44,000 public servants face a virtual five-year pay freeze, despite the recession being officially over.
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“Mr Ryall has made repeated statements about his health policy being Better Sooner and More Convenient and how he will trust and value our health professionals.
“The National Party campaigned on listening to frontline health professionals. Clearly they had no intention of actually doing it – Tony Ryall’s recent comments to the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine conference that ‘the new government wants a new partnership with the health professions. We will not see you as costs, but as a valuable resource’ are just hollow,”Ruth Dyson said.
Health Cuts since coming to office
February 2009
• Pies back on the menu in schools Error! Reference source not found.
March 2009
• Taranaki DHB has publicly signalled that its hospital is preparing for cut backs. Taranaki Daily News 10 March 2009
April 2009
• Southland and Otago DHBs have confirmed they are cutting home support services to reduce costs. The Boards were looking to make savings of up to $10 million by reducing home support services for elderly. Error! Reference source not found.
May 2009
• Cut anti obesity, oral health and mental health targets
• National have taken $2.3 million out of cancer control. Budget 2009
• Slashed the diabetes ‘let’s get checked’ budget by $4.8 million each year. Budget 2009
• Cut $3 million from the cardiovascular disease budget. Budget 2009
• Mental Health services have also had their funding cut. Budget 2009
June 2009
• Whanganui DHB has said it will be closing hospital wards on weekends to save money on nursing overtime. “ Hospital looks to close wards at weekends” Wanganui Chronicle 26 June 2009
• Post budget Treasury documents show that primary health and health promotion services that target specific health conditions have had funding cuts of $37 million this year.http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/2009
• Tony Ryall this year signed off on a 6.5 percent increase in GP fees the largest increase since fees came in.Error! Reference source not found.
• The Fruit in Schools programme which currently provides 100,000 children with fresh fruit each day is under threat. Error! Reference source not found.
• Mid Central DHB makes cuts $10 million cuts Manawatu Standard
July 2009
• South Canterbury DHB has said it will be reducing the amount of patients seen in its Emergency Department by up to 5000 people a year. Error! Reference source not found.
• SCDHB has also signalled that it is looking to reduce the number of patients using radiology services. Error! Reference source not found.
• The DHB also confirmed that it would be axing up to 200 elective operations per year because of a cut in Government funding. Error! Reference source not found.
August 2009
¨ Cuts to elderly care in South C’bury Error! Reference source not found.
¨ Sport fit coordinator jobs at risk
¨ Senior Doctors question Ministerial Health Review Error! Reference source not found.
¨ Waikato DHB has frozen clinician jobs Error! Reference source not found.
¨ Dunstan Hospital reduces community physio and disability home support
• Dannevirke outpatient cuts
September 2009
• Mental health funding on chopping block $2million chopped in Nelson.
ENDS
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