New data shows that thousands of nurses have left the public health sector in just five years and the rate at which the essential workers are leaving is increasing, National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says.

“Labour has repeatedly taken credit for funding extra nurses. However, they have refused to admit how many nurses have left – and now it is clear why.

“New data shows that almost 19,000 nurses have left over the last five years under Labour.

“What’s worse is that the number of nurses leaving has been steadily increase each year, jumping from 2,963 nurses in 2017 to 4,752 in 2022 – a 60 per cent increase.

“The figures were only released after intervention from Parliament’s Speaker, with Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall refusing to release the data.

“The health sector is in crisis and has been crying out for more workforce support, but the Labour Government took too long to act and refused to put overseas nurses on the straight -to-residency pathway, even when they had this worrying data showing how many nurses were leaving the profession.

“At a time when there is a global war for talent, New Zealand should be doing everything it can to be an attractive destination for essential workers. While countries like Australia and Canada were offering health workers easier immigration access, Labour refused to act.

“The Labour Government has failed the health sector and refused to take accountability for inaction. Sick and injured New Zealanders are going to be paying the price this winter.

“A National Government would have opened up New Zealand’s immigration settings for health workers more than a year ago. We also would not have wasted half a billion dollars on a bureaucratic health restructure in the middle of a global pandemic, and instead invested that money into our hardworking frontline.”

Note: The data does not take into account those who have been transferred or have been re-employed.