Health Cuts Hurts Campaign

Health Cuts Hurts Campaign

The Health Cuts Hurt Campaign understands that Canterbury District Health Board has recently axed residential accommodation for out of town relatives of hospital patients who are undergoing treatment at Christchurch Public Hospital. Whilst a Whanau House has been provided for Maori families, it appears that non Maori have lost access to accommodation that used to be provided in the former nurses’ hostel on the Christchurch Hospital campus.

“If what we’re being told is true, it would seem that this is another example of the cuts in services that Cantabrians will have to stomach as the CDHB slashes $30 million from its budget over the next three years” said campaign spokesman Martin Cooney. “This is insensitive at best and callous at worst. It is distressing enough to have a relative in hospital, perhaps in intensive care, without having to go to the hassle and expense of finding accommodation” he went on. “Maori have the Whanau House, which is good as far as it goes, but what about low income Pakeha families who live out of town?” asked Mr Cooney.

Health Cuts Hurt understands that rooms used to be provided in the former nurses’ hostel for families who lived in Christchurch’s rural hinterland and further afield. “Christchurch Hospital provides a number of regional speciality services and seriously ill patients are admitted from far and wide”, said Mr Cooney, “surely it is not too much to ask for there to some basic accommodation to be provided for their families?”

“At their last Board meeting the CDHB told Health Cuts Hurt that there were no cuts to services in Canterbury. A few days later we were told that residential accommodation at the former nurses’ hostel had been axed” said Mr Cooney.

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