Jonathan Coleman MP
National Party Associate Health Spokesman

13 February 2008

Hospitals unacceptably unsafe

The Health and Disability Commissioner has told Parliament that New Zealand's hospitals are unacceptably unsafe, and that the health sector lacks national leadership, says National's Associate Health spokesman, Jonathan Coleman.

"If, after nine years in charge and billions of dollars, Labour hasn't improved the safety of hospital services, it never will."

Dr Coleman is commenting after the Health and Disability Commission appeared before the Health Select Committee today.

"A drive for improving quality healthcare is fundamental to making our hospitals safer. However, there's a lack of leadership and coordination, according to Commissioner Ron Paterson.

"Doctors and nurses are keen to work to improve hospital safety, but many are frustrated by the bureaucratic inertia that the Health and Disability Commissioner has pinpointed.

"There are too many examples of medicine errors and poor quality service for the quality agenda to be ignored.

"More information needs to be made available so clinicians can compare their hospitals' service and performance with others.

"Labour is failing New Zealand patients yet again"

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell:
On Putting Profit Potential Ahead Of Human Potential

Does New Zealand – despite our claims to egalitarianism and everyone being equal before the law – treat the people engaged in tax evasion more leniently than the people who commit welfare fraud? Yes, we do.

Earlier research by Victoria University associate professor Lisa Marriott has shown that while both offences are of the same kind (financial crimes) and have the same victim (the government, and society) the two get treated very differently from a prosecution point of view...

This week, Marriott released the next stage of her research findings, which are entirely consistent with what went before. Apparently, the government agencies involved also treat tax offenders more leniently than they treat welfare offenders. More>>