Wyatt Creech National Health Spokesperson

Sunday 22 October 2000

PM must step in over health reforms

The Prime Minister must step in and clarify whether the Government will pull back from its health reforms in the wake of opposition from its Coalition partner the Alliance, National's Health spokesperson Wyatt Creech said today.

"Over the past few days I have had a lot of contact with people in the health sector who have been taken aback by the Alliance's opposition to the health restructuring and its appearance before the Health Select Committee.

"The split in the Government's ranks has unsettled health professionals and health providers.

"There is already considerable concern and uncertainty about the health restructuring. Most people - including the Alliance - are worried about increased costs and bureaucracy, and services suffering.

"They are also worried that the Health Minister is not listening.

"The Prime Minister must step in and make it clear whether Labour will listen and pull back on the health reforms.

"The restructuring has not been well thought through or planned, there are big holes in it and there are divisions within the Government's own ranks.

"It is not too late to put the restructuring on hold - go back to the drawing board - and try to get a solution that does not create so much upheaval, bureaucracy and extra costs.

"I call on Helen Clark to help her Health Minister Annette King out on this one and send the restructuring back to the drawing board and have large parts of it re-done," Mr Creech said.

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