Ryall goes into hiding to avoid questions about $700 million lie

Minister of Health Tony Ryall needs to front up to the public about ongoing cuts to frontline health services, Labour Health spokesperson Ruth Dyson says.

“Tony Ryall has virtually gone into hiding to avoid questions raised by the resignation of Ken Whelan at Capital and Coast DHB. Mr Whelan resigned because he didn’t want to cut patient services,” Ruth Dyson said.

“The reality is Tony Ryall stood up in public shortly after the election and told the New Zealand public there was $700 million in savings to be made from cutting backroom services and that this money would go into improving patient services.

“Clearly that has proven to be completely untrue and now Mr Ryall has gone to ground to avoid answering questions on his statements.

“Today through a spokesman Mr Ryall said ‘I don’t run Capital and Coast DHB. Whether or not there are more savings to be made I don’t know’. That is a ridiculous statement for the Minister of Health to make.

“DHBs are required to submit plans for savings and frontline service provision, through the District Annual Plan process, to the Minister for approval and given the Minister’s supposed concerns about the financial state of Capital and Coast DHB surely he would have been receiving regular updates from the Chair.

“Mr Ryall clearly lied when he told the public that he would make $700 million in savings to go into frontline services and he is obviously failing to tell the truth when he claims not to know what is going on at Capital and Coast.

“Sadly this isn’t the first time Mr Ryall has been caught out deliberately misleading the public. He claimed the Government had massively increased elective surgery thanks to budget funding. Budget papers however, revealed elective surgery funding increases were required to cater for the thousands of people who had been dumped by ACC onto DHB waiting lists.

“Clearly Mr Ryall has become a Minister who fudges the facts in a deliberate effort to mislead the public and when that doesn’t work he just runs for cover.

“Well Mr Ryall patients need frontlines services – not your false facts and run and hide attitude,” Ruth Dyson said.

ENDS

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