Hon Ruth Dyson
Health Spokesperson

5 August 2009 Media Statement
National cuts health services for thousands of patients

Health Minister Tony Ryall is approving plans that will see thousands of patients around the country having the services they receive cut, Labour Health spokesperson Ruth Dyson says.

“Tony Ryall has already signed off on plans put forward by South Canterbury DHB to reduce the number of patients it sees in its Accident and Emergency Department by 5000 a year by turning them away and sending them to GPs.

“South Canterbury DHB’s decision to cut patient services to save money is the latest in a growing list of health organisations cutting back services to meet Tony Ryall’s financial demands.

“Whanganui, South Canterbury, Southland, Otago, Tairawhiti, Taranaki, and MidCentral DHBs have all signalled cuts to patient services.

“Tony Ryall was today challenged seven times to confirm in Parliament that he would not allow cuts to frontline services to proceed. The Minister confirmed he was aware that cuts to frontline services were occurring and refused to rule out further cuts.

“So much for National’s ‘Better, Sooner, More Convenient’ health service John Key and Tony Ryall promised. Instead New Zealanders will be getting fewer services.

“These cuts in regional areas are in addition to those Tony Ryall has himself made, to mental health funding, the nationally funded ‘Lets Get Checked diabetes programme’, tobacco control programmes and cardiovascular programmes.

“In addition earlier this year Tony Ryall signed off on a 6.5 percent increase in GP fees in New Zealand, the largest increase since Primary Health Organisations were introduced.

“National has been quietly cutting frontline health services since coming to office eight months ago and there is much more to come.

“The head of the senior doctors’ union on the weekend expressed concern that the Government’s plan to transfer some hospital services to primary care ‘has serious risks of clinically inappropriate and fiscally questionable transfers’.”

“As more DHBs have their annual plans signed off, more regions can expect to see a reduction in frontline health services.

“The ball is rolling on cuts to patient services and it’s only going to pick up the pace,” Ruth Dyson said.

ENDS

Patient services cut in eight months

• Mid-Central DHB to cut $10 million from budget.

• General Manager for Corporate Services Stuart Wilson confirmed the DHB would carry out a line by line review and reduce the standard of services provided to patients to produce cuts of that nature. The DHB is also predicting job losses

• Southland and Otago DHBs have confirmed they are cutting home support services to reduce costs. The Boards were looking to make savings of up to $10 million by reducing home support services for elderly.

• Whanganui DHB has said it will be closing hospital wards on weekends to save money on nursing overtime.

• Taranaki DHB has publicly signalled that its hospital is preparing for cut backs.

• South Canterbury DHB has said it will be reducing the amount of patients seen in its Emergency Department by up to 5000 people a year.

• SCDHB has also signalled that it is looking to reduce the number of patients using radiology services.

• The DHB also confirmed on Friday that it would be axing up to 200 elective operations per year because of a cut in Government funding.

• Tony Ryall this year signed off on a 6.5 percent increase in GP fees the largest increase since fees came in.

• Ian Powell head of the senior doctors union on the weekend expressed concern that the Minister was increasing elective surgery statistics by allowing DHBs to carry out easier cheaper, quicker procedures while leaving the more complex cases.

• The Fruit in Schools programme which currently provides 100,000 children with fresh fruit each day is under threat.

• Post budget Treasury documents show that primary health and health promotion services that target specific health conditions have had funding cuts of $37 million this year.
• National have taken $2.3 million out of cancer control,
• Slashed the diabetes ‘let’s get checked’ budget by $4.8 million
• Cut $3 million from the cardiovascular disease budget.
• Mental Health services have also had their funding cut.

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