15 February 2017

Nurses support YesWeCare.nz campaign

NZNO along with the Public Service Association (PSA) presented today at the Public Services International conference in Auckland to support its global campaign:

A better future with public health for all.

As part of this international campaign, the PSA today launched the nationwide ‘YesWeCare’ coalition for a fully funded health system to highlight how inadequate health funding is negatively affecting the public and workers they represent. They are taking 200 cardboard human figure cut-outs around New Zealand to illustrate the staffing gaps in the health sector workforce and state that this issue is as serious as the housing crisis.

The YesWeCare coalition includes 83,000 Kiwis working in health, ActionStation and the Peoples' Mental Health Review. Unions include the Council of Trade Unions, Public Service Association, E tū, First Union and Unite, and has the support of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

NZNO Chief Executive Memo Musa says District Health Boards have for some time been under pressure to balance their financial books and meet health targets, operating with shortfalls in health funding. He says this cannot go on and on and action is required now to stem the shortfalls.

Memo Musa said in a media statement last week:

“The Council of Trade Unions now calculate the shortfall in health spending to be $1.85b. This needs to be injected into Budget 2017 and to increase each year.

“Our members have told us underfunding is now affecting patient safety, access to care, triggering care-rationing, health-worker burn out and straining the infrastructure.

“NZNO urge the government to make health funding, with a future vision, the number one 2017 general election priority,” Memo Musa said.

The NZNO member-led Shout Out for Health campaign launched on Friday
10 February mobilises and supports nurses, caregivers, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaiāwhina to tell their stories about the fractures in the health system. Our latest blog by NZNO delegate, Ben Rogers was posted today as part of the 2017 Shout Out campaign.

ENDS.

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