Media Statement
For immediate release
Wednesday, 22 October, 2003
United Future backs call for public private partnerships to reduce waiting lists
United Future today signalled its strong support for the position by Professor Geoffrey Horne and the New Zealand
Orthopaedic Association for greater use of public private partnerships, as a way of reducing waiting lists.
Finance spokesman, Gordon Copeland, and health spokeswoman, Judy Turner, said, “This is a straightforward commonsense
solution to the problem of growing waiting lists in New Zealand and we should not allow a “State provider only” ideology
to drive the system, where other options are available.
“It makes no sense when facilities and surgeons are available at privately owned hospitals to send people requiring
orthopaedic and other surgery back home, where they live in pain, waiting endlessly for the State system to catch up.
“It makes it even worse, when people read that far from declining, such waiting lists are actually increasing with many
people being sent back to their GP’s with the message “sorry you’ll just have to keep on waiting”.
“It’s just not good enough,” said the two MP’s.
“United Future believes that we should view the health system holistically, and utilise all of the facilities and
medical expertise available, whether in the private or the State sector, to get surgery for as many people as possible
and as quickly as possible.
“You never know, we might even be able to both reduce waiting lists and make the public sector spend our tax dollars
more effectively. Competition tends to have that effect, ” they said.
Ends