Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation
The Coalition Government’s scaled-back new Dunedin hospital build is putting cost-cutting ahead of health and wellbeing, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.
NZNO President and emergency nurse Anne Daniels says today’s announcement fails to future-proof the health needs of the Southern community.
“This is short-sighted. The Southern community has a growing and aging population. We also have a failing primary care health sector which means more people will unnecessarily need hospital level care.”
NZNO is disappointed but not surprised with today’s announcement, she says.
“We had hoped the Coalition Government would keep its promise to fund the new build as outlined in the 2017 business case which was worked on by 500 clinicians.
“But this Government is still intent on putting dollars before the people. That is a choice.
“They are making decisions about the health and wellbeing of the Southern community rather than doing what they were elected to do,” Anne Daniels says.
The new hospital will open with 16 beds fewer than the existing hospital and even after it is scaled up over time, will have six beds less than originally promised, she said.
“Fewer beds also means fewer jobs for nurses as Te Whatu Ora will resource this hospital based on bed numbers.”
