Historic Declaration On The State Of The New Zealand Health System

Joint PR: Patient Voice Aotearoa And Buller Health Action Group

On Saturday 28 September at 12:00 pm the people of Buller will march in silence from Victoria Square to the Westport Clock Tower. The march has been organised to demonstrate concern over the dire state of healthcare in the region. Te Rau Kawakawa, Buller Hospital, has been shut for almost one month since the new facility was opened in May last year; there is only one ambulance being operated by Hato Hone/St John that is often not in the region as it is transferring patients from Westport to Greymouth; the sole air rescue helicopter is based in Greymouth and cannot fly in adverse weather; and finally, as of September 28, all urgent and afterhours clinics on the entire West Coast will no longer be in operation and patients will have to rely on telehealth services.

Upon arriving at the Westport Clock Tower, the following representatives will speak and sign the Buller Declaration on the State of New Zealand Health System:

· Malcolm Mulholland, Chair of Patient Voice Aotearoa

· Anita Halsall-Quinlan, Spokesperson for the Buller Health Action Group

· Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation

· Dr Andrew Laurenson, Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

· Sarah Dalton, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

· Dr Jeremy Webber, Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network

The Declaration reads:

As signatories to this Declaration, we assert:

1. Aotearoa New Zealand’s health system is in a state of crisis.

2. The Government must act urgently to address that crisis.

3. Rural, Māori, and low-income populations are disproportionately affected by the crisis.

4. The Government must act urgently to meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and protect Māori health, in consultation with iwi and hapū.

5. The Government must allocate additional resources to train, recruit, and retain more nurses, doctors and specialists.

During the speeches, the people of Buller will be invited to sign the Declaration before it tours the country for the public to sign. Another silent protest has been organised for Reefton for those unable to travel to Westport at the former hospital site at the same date and time as the silent march in Westport. For more information regarding the Reefton protest please contact Moria Lockington on 021 0787625.

Chair of Patient Voice Aotearoa, Malcolm Mulholland, was raised in Seddonville, Northern Buller, and his 84-year-old father George still lives there. His family have lived in the region for six generations. He states “September 28 is a historic day. Never have health advocates and representatives come together to collectively declare that the state of the New Zealand health system is in a state of crisis and for the Government to urgently fix it. Based on their own distressing experience of a lack of healthcare services, Buller, New Zealand’s smallest province by population, is leading the country by starting a nationwide declaration. The declaration will travel the country and can be signed by anyone who believes we need to do better when it comes to our health system. I have received calls from people in Kaitaia, Hawera, Gisborne, Masterton and Oamaru and they are telling me they worry about the state of healthcare in their region. The Buller Declaration is an opportunity for everybody to express their concern about healthcare in New Zealand and for the Government to do whatever it takes to address the crisis.

Spokesperson for the Buller Health Action Group, Anita Halsall-Quinlan, whose family has also lived in Buller for six generations, states “Everybody in the region is talking about how worried they are about access to health services in Buller. Because we are so isolated from the rest of the country, access to health services, especially in an emergency, is quite literally a case of life or death. I know of people who have shifted away from Buller because they don’t trust that they will be able to get what they need if they are in an emergency. The lack of healthcare in Buller is undoubtedly harmfully affecting our community and our economy. I’m proud of my community for making a stand by starting a nationwide declaration but I am sad at the circumstances that have led to us having to carry out this action. Nobody should have to declare a crisis when it comes to a lack of health services in their own community.

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