Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Protest at Prime Minister’s Dunedin Hospital visit

YesWeCare.nz

Press release for immediate release

Saturday 19 August 930am

Protest at Prime Minister’s Dunedin Hospital visit

100 life-sized cut-outs of missing health workers will greet Prime Minister Bill English and Health Minister Jonathan Coleman when they visit Dunedin hospital today, says YesWeCare.nz

The short-notice protest will be held from 1030am outside the Psychiatric Services Building on Great King Street.

Hospital staff says they were notified late last night that English and Coleman’s would visit between 1030am to 1130am today.

A separate equal pay event will be held from 11am at the Dunedin Exchange.

YesWeCare.nz coalition coordinator Simon Oosterman says it will include mental health support workers Coleman excluded from the recent historic equal pay settlement.

Oosterman say each cut-out represents 300 staff missing from New Zealand’s health system due to Government underfunding.

“The lack of staffing and resources at Southern DHB is a symptom of the Government’s $2.3b of health underfunding,” he says. “That’s the equivalent of 30,000 missing staff and an immeasurable number of people missing out on the care they need, when they need it.”

Oosterman says funding hasn’t kept up with our ageing and growing population with increased mental health needs.

According to a YesWeCare.nz survey in March, nine in 10 people working in health in Southern DHB felt they didn’t have the staff or resources to provide Kiwis the care they need, when they need it.

“There is nothing more distressing for someone working in health than to see someone they could care for, but can’t, simply due to underfunding,” he says.

30,000 staff missing:

4,300 Doctors
13,200 Nurses
5,900 Allied
1,500 Support staff
5,000 Admin
400 Qualified ambulance offices.

Allied staff include Social Workers, Psychologists and Scientists.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.