Hospital Fiasco Government's Responsibility
New Zealand First has called on the Government to take responsibility for, and fix, the shortage of beds at Auckland
City Hospital.
“The public are being diverted but not hoodwinked by the Auckland District Health Board’s censure of health
professionals who have been highlighting the deficiencies of the new facility, said leader Rt Hon Winston Peters.
“With Scrooge Cullen sitting on a huge surplus for use in election year the Government clearly has the resources to
solve the problem. Instead it is content to hide behind its creation and appointment, the health board, and to hell with
those on the waiting lists.
“The news this week is all bad with the number of operations at Nelson and Wairau hospitals being reduced while several
reports highlight the additional stresses, strains, and financial and personal costs resulting from the lack of timely
treatment,” said Mr Peters.
“The clerical removal of patients from waiting lists to make the government look good, the poor planning of new
facilities, the obfuscation of health statistics hidden away in a myriad of Health Board reports, and the attempts to
gag those with the courage to speak up about these serious shortcomings are all signs of a seriously compromised health
system.
“This arrogant Labour-administration needs to heed both the experts and the patients and address these problems now,”
said Mr Peters.