DHB Elections A Democratic Farce – Says Candidate
This year’s District Health Board elections are “turning into a farce” according to the Manager of the Wellington Mental
Health Consumer Union Sarah Porter.
Ms Porter who is standing as a candidate for the Wellington DHB Capital & Coast Health says that as one of forty candidates for seven positions it is almost impossible to get publicity.
Nationwide 500 candidates are standing for 147 elected Board positions across New Zealand
“What was billed as a wonderful democratic process is rapidly becoming a democratic tragedy,” she says.
‘The most you can get is 150 words, a photograph and a small advertisement in the community papers and a short profile
in the information booklet that goes out to the public with their voting packs. It’s almost impossible for people to get
the information they need to make informed and intelligent choices,” she says.
“How do you really find out about people in 150 words and how do you check on which of the incumbent members have
performed well?
“How does someone in Island Bay find out about candidates on the Kapiti Coast or Porirua? To add to this we have the
complication and confusion of voting in our first-ever STV election,” she says.
Ms Porter says she has put herself forward as a DHB candidate because she is “passionate” about improving mental health
services in the Wellington region.
“As part of my job with the Wellington Mental Health Consumer Union I have visited thousands of mental health consumers
in a variety of in-patient mental health units in Wellington.
“Tax payers are spending $600 - $700 a day per person for care in these facilities – they are phenomenally expensive and
frighteningly ineffective,” she says.
Ms Porter believes precious mental health money is being spent where it is least likely to be effective.
“A small proportion of people are getting the lion’s share of resources. People are moving through in-patient units at
appallingly slow speed. I’ve been visiting the same places for the past three and a half years and the same people are
still there. They don’t seem to be making much progress mentally and their physical health is slipping,” she says.
“The problem lies in the Ministry’s of Health policy directing most of the mental health budget towards the three per
cent of people who have chronic and enduring mental health problems. What this is saying is that they won’t give
resources to people until they are unlikely to get better.
“At the moment the other 97 per cent of people are not qualifying for help – even when they are in crisis and often we
see tragic consequences because of this. It is very hard to get people referred to mental health teams – sometimes it
can take six to eight weeks for consumers to get appointments for appropriate help.
Ms Porter says she believes more resources should be directed through primary health services with back-up and expertise
being provided by secondary services.