Wyatt Creech National Health Spokesperson

Thursday 23 November 2000

Health sector suffers reform fatigue

The Labour-Alliance Government is responsible for imposing demoralising reform fatigue on the country's health system, National Health spokesperson Wyatt Creech said today during the Second Reading of new health restructuring legislation.

"Every MP who heard submissions to the select committee received a clear message that the health system had had enough of structural change.

"Health providers are preparing themselves for uncertainty, administrative problems, and the waste of money on structures and change when it should be going on health services.

"Reform fatigue will get worse over the coming months as health professionals, new managers and elected members of health boards impose the restructuring.

"The rationale for imposing more change is based on the rhetoric that the health sector needs to be collaborative.

"Everyone at the select committee acknowledged that the health system was moving in that direction anyway.

"The restructuring will not improve our health services. It's a waste of time and money.

"National does not intend to subject the health sector to further damaging major structural change. Rather we will involve the sector in evolving and improving the system.

"We will fix the problems and make the system work better but we won't turn the system on its head again like Labour and the Alliance are doing."

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