Ria Bond MP
New Zealand First List Member of Parliament based in Invercargill
18 OCTOBER 2016
ANY HOSPITAL ISSUES SIT WITH GOVT DURING STRIKE
The government must take responsibility for hospital problems around the country resulting from the 48 hour junior
doctors strike, says New Zealand First.
“It is the government which has severely underfunded District Health Boards (DHBs) and forced them to slash spending,”
says Ria Bond, New Zealand First List MP based in Southland.
“The scheduling demands on junior doctors reflect the alarming rate at which health spending is dropping per head of
population.
“The health system has failed to match pace with nearly 70,000 immigrants settling in New Zealand every year, increasing
demand for emergency services, hospital beds and elective surgery.
“Health sector issues in Southland are increasing. In Invercargill alone, 37 per cent of constituent cases brought to
New Zealand First in September were related to the health sector,” says Ms Bond.
ENDS