Visual protest at National ambulance funding announcement

Source: PSA

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WHAT

Visual protest with 200 cut-outs of missing qualified ambulance professionals and health workers due to underfunding.

WHERE

National Party Northern Regional Convention, Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, 58 Waipuna Road, Mount Wellington, Auckland

WHEN

Sunday 14 May from 11am-2pm. (We will set up our cut-outs from 10am-11am and will pack down from 2pm-3pm).

WHY

Prime Minister Bill English is expected to make a pre-budget announcement on Sundayfrom 12 noon-1pm for additional funding for ambulances. We expect this money will pay for more than 300 medically-unqualified ambulance assistants to work with a qualified ambulance officer who are otherwise working on their own. (When an officer works on their own it is called "single-crewing". An unqualified assistant working with a single qualified officer is called "Assisted-single crewing".)

While this is a late step in the right direction, ambulance professionals, rural health professionals, community groups and the 2008 Select Committee Inquiry into Ambulance Services are seeking two medically-qualified officers in every ambulance. ("Double crewing").

Rural and provincial Kiwis deserve two medically-qualified ambulance officers to ensure the best patient outcomes like most urban cities already have.

We estimate that it will only cost $5.5m more than the Government is expected to announce for each of the new roles to be qualified. This half-measure is symptomatic of a Government that has underfunded health by more than $1.85 billion.

WHO

YesWeCare.nz is a coalition of community groups and people working in health seeking a fully-funded health system. First Union - the largest union of Ambulance Professionals - is a member of the coalition.

ENDS

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