Media Release

11 October 1999

NEW ZEALAND FIRST PROMISES FUNDING FOR HOSPITAL

New Zealand First has repeated its promise of capital funding of $2 million dollars and secondary hospital status for Thames hospital in the wake of Health Minister Wyatt Creech’s meeting on Friday.

MP Robyn McDonald has said today that by his own admission the Minister had not even read the five year contract offered to Thames hospital so was unable to reassure Thames residents of the long term future of their hospital.

“It is simply not good enough to keep side-stepping the issues of long term funding.”

Reclassification to a secondary hospital from the so called sub acute unit that Thames hospital is currently classified as in the Hospital Plan will guarantee the level of service that Thames requires.

Capital funding of 2 million dollars is sitting in the Government coffers collecting dust while Thames hospital is left to die the death of a thousand cuts.

New Zealand First will guarantee the future of Thames hospital because it has a commitment to rural New Zealand. The health of our rural community will simply not be maintained by centralising hospital services. New Zealand First believe that the welfare of families and therefore the welfare of communities is only maintained when adequate services are close enough to be accessed.

ENDS

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