23 January 2002

The Health Minister must intervene to stop a strike by Canterbury health workers, National's Health spokesperson Roger Sowry said today.

"The Government can't sit on its hands and claim it has no responsibility for the Canterbury health crisis. Labour promised better health services and raised expectations of better pay to nurses before the last election.

"This 15-day strike will cripple health services in the region. It cannot be allowed to happen. Annette King attending a meeting to say she can do nothing is not the way to sort the issue out.

"The Ministry of Health says that 'a major reason for deterioration' in DHBs' performance is that revenue increases in the past two years have been less than CPI and volume growth. which in real terms is a reduction in revenue.

"The Canterbury District Health Board is hamstrung by its $20m deficit. The only solution is that the Government fronts up with the extra resources needed," Mr Sowry said.

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