Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Specialists confirm Govt 'spin' surrounds cuts

Dr Lynda Scott MP National Party Health Spokeswoman

20 August 2003

Specialists confirm Govt 'spin' surrounds cuts

National Party Health spokeswoman Lynda Scott says Salaried Medical Specialists have confirmed the long-held belief that political 'spin's' being used to hide the true depth of cuts at our public hospitals.

"I can understand the frustration of Salaried Medical Specialists because I've found Health Minister Annette King almost never provides proper answers to my questions in Parliament.

"She's been dodging the questions for four years and now it's time she started answering for her Labour Government," Dr Scott says.

"Salaried Medical Specialists have said today that the public's being misled with a claim that Auckland's lower than budgeted deficit of $49.7 million had been achieved without 'having to cut patient services'.

"Those senior doctors know like I do, that this is not the truth," says Dr Scott.

"All New Zealanders should sit up and take notice when senior doctors say they're 'placed under undue pressure to cut corners and take risks'.

"The Auckland Hospital ICU has cut its nursing salary bill by $300,000 and there's been increased pressure on the DHB to cancel scheduled surgery because of under-resourcing," Dr Scott says.

"The rebuilt Auckland hospital will have 200 fewer beds than currently available and we also know 25,000 patients were dumped from the country's waiting lists last year.

"These are cuts by any measure and it's time this Government started confronting the reality of the situation.

"They must start listening to doctors on the frontline, who are under increasing pressure to cover up for this Government's dishonesty," says Dr Scott.

Ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.