Another survey has been released highlighting the failures of Labour’s health restructure, National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says.

NZ Women in Medicine surveyed 936 doctors which showed more than half of doctors think working conditions have worsened since the establishment of Health NZ and very few expressed hope things will improve in the next year.

“Labour’s billion dollar bureaucratic health restructure has been an abhorrent failure that has put enormous pressure on a health sector already in crisis.  

“What did Labour think would happen undertaking major health reforms in the middle of a pandemic?

“Today’s survey comes as no surprise. Workforce is the main issue facing the sector and Labour has failed to urgently address it – instead it has been too focused on shuffling deckchairs and changing logos when it should have been backing the frontline.

“Our health sector needs real leadership but it is stuck with a government who is too focused on itself and its ideological ideas. A National government will be relentlessly focused on delivering for our hard working health sector.

“National has already announced we will train an extra 220 doctors a year and retain more nurses and midwives by offering to pay their student loan repayments in return for a five year bonding agreement. We will also open up our immigration settings to make the country a more attractive destination for these much needed health workers.

“National is committed to increasing the health budget each and every year and to bring back lifesaving health targets and hold ourselves publicly accountable.

“I have seen first-hand how hard our frontline is working to keep sick and injured New Zealanders safe. The culture of excuses is over, it is time for action and that is what a National government will deliver.”