Barbara Stewart
Spokesperson for Health

06 March 2012

New Zealand First has accused the government of “fiddling” front line health staffing figures and warns that imported “hatchet” men are going to start fresh rounds of cost cutting.

Health spokesperson Barbara Stewart says the government claims that it has employed 2,000 extra nurses since it took office but the Nurses Organisation points out the figure includes unregistered health assistants.

“The government also claims that it has employed 800 more doctors and this figure has also been disputed – this time by the senior doctors’ union executive director, who bases his disagreement on figures provided by district health boards.

“According to the DHBs the number of public hospital specialists increased by only 373 over the three years from July 2008 to July 2011.
“However what we do have added to the staffing in the public health system, quite indisputably, is two imported hatchet men from the United Kingdom.
“They are Director-General of Health, Kevin Woods, who’s paid about $550,000 a year and Kevin Snee, Chief Executive of the Hawkes Bay DHB and the chairman of the DHB chief executives group. He is paid between $410,000 and $420,000 a year.

“That’s just under a million dollars for two managers with a reputation for cutting costs. The health system could take on an extra 20 nurses who would be of far more use.

“It’s becoming pretty obvious what the Government’s priorities are – look after the dollars and the patients will look after themselves,” says Mrs Stewart.

ENDS

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