Syphilis deaths highlight need for proper health sector resourcing
MEDIA RELEASE
16 July 2018
“The heart-wrenching news that babies have died from syphilis underscores yet again the importance of properly funding
and resourcing essential health services,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical
Specialists (ASMS).
“This should not be happening in a quality first-world public health care system like New Zealand’s.”
He was commenting on reports that babies are dying from syphilis passed on from their mothers during pregnancy (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1=12086283). He particularly noted comments by Dr Jane Morgan, clinical director of Waikato DHB’s Hamilton Sexual Health and an
honorary academic at the University of Auckland, that the situation indicated New Zealand’s health care systems were
falling over.
“The reality is that our public health system has been neglected for years, and has soldiered on despite significant
under-funding and longstanding workforce shortages. You can’t have that kind of entrenched neglect of essential health
services without consequences.”
Mr Powell noted cuts to the Auckland regional sexual health service (run by Auckland District Health Board), which had
reduced the number of sexual health senior doctors by 1.65 full time equivalent (FTE). The service now has 2.1 permanent
FTE sexual health specialists covering three DHBs (Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau). Sexual health specialists
warned their health bosses that these cuts would place further strain on the service’s ability to cope but were
marginalised.
“The Government needs to ensure services have the staff they need to provide the level of health care New Zealanders
require,” he says. “We don’t want more tragedies to occur before someone decides to act.”
ENDS