Media Release
5 March 2004

Outpatient Delay Outrageous

“The six month delay being endured by outpatients in Auckland before they can be seen by a specialist is outrageous,” said New Zealand First’s health spokesperson, Barbara Stewart.

The Auckland District Health Board said that the waiting time has increased considerably over the past six months and that moving to a new hospital is partly to blame.

“Aucklanders have a nice, shiny new hospital but that is not much consolation to people who have been waiting for months for assessments,” said Mrs Stewart.

“Patients who are waiting to see specialists will, in some cases, be unable to work until their health problems are addressed and at a minimum are suffering from a degree of discomfort which affects their quality of life.

“Those who cannot afford private care are effectively being sidelined by health care shortages.

“The two conclusions to be drawn from this are that either Government health funding is not adequate to provide services at an acceptable level or the Auckland DHB is not managing its money properly.

“Whichever it is the Minister of Health should take some responsibility and take steps to remedy the situation. The buck ultimately stops at her door,” said Mrs Stewart.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>