Bereaved Mum gives National an F- on health

Jane Stevens, who lost her son Nicky to suicide in 2015 while in mental health care, has given National an “F-“ for health.

The comments follow Labour releasing a health report card on National’s nine years in office today.

Mrs Stevens travelled with 606 shoes, each representing a New Zealand lost to suicide, across New Zealand earlier this month.

“It’s unbelievable National would give a $20 tax cut to high income earners while more and more families and being failed by an underfunded mental health system,” she says. “Despite New Zealand having the highest youth suicide in the world, National vetoed setting a suicide reduction target and still refuses to hold an inquiry into our mental health crisis.”

Stevens say’s the score is based on the widening gap between mental health funding and demand and the party’s attitude towards bereaved families and their concerns.

She says more than 200 bereaved families sent a letter to political party asking them to support bereaved six election commitments.

Every party agreed, Stevens says, except National and Act.

“It took a lot of courage for families to speak out about losing their loved one to suicide,” she says. “National and Act didn’t even both to respond to our letter or turn up to hear our stories on World Suicide Prevention Day at Parliament.”

During interviews on TVNZ and NewsHub, Bill English said his party’s failure to attend the Parliament event was due to an “administrative error”.

YesWeCare.nz coalition coordinator Simon Oosterman says the statement was “fake news” and that he called the party daily for a week to get a response.

ENDS

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