Snafu at Princess Margaret

new-zealand-labour-party

Thu Jul 20 2017 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Snafu at Princess Margaret

Thursday, 20 July 2017, 9:33 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

David Clark
MP for Dunedin North
Health
Assoc Finance

20 July 2017

Jonathan Coleman has to stop the stalling over a new building for mental health services in Christchurch to replace the quake damaged Princess Margaret Hospital, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark.

“The Government must accept that Christchurch is still recovering from the earthquakes and Princess Margaret Hospital is shored up with timber and is no longer fit for purpose.

“It is no longer clinically safe to keep services there for a city that is still feeling the long-term impact of the quakes. Just a few months ago the DHB was refused $7.2 million dollars for mental health services.

“So when Jonathan Coleman sent his clinical review teams down to Christchurch to investigate the situation it was nothing short of appalling that those teams never visited Princess Margaret and even questioned the need for more beds for mental health.

“Are he and his officials even aware of the fact that there has been a 72 per cent rise in people with mental health problems presenting at Christchurch emergency departments?

“Canterbury is facing real pressures as a result of gross underfunding.

“It’s time for a fresh approach to this funding snafu and Labour has announced that when it’s elected it will invest $8 billion more in health under its Fiscal Plan,” said David Clark.

ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.