One year before the health system restructuring even starts, the health system restructuring unit in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has already tripled in staff numbers, National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says.

Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions shows management staff numbers in the unit went from 25 in December last year to 78 in July this year.

“Worse still, the budget has increased from $5 million to $38.9 million,” Dr Reti says.

“Clearly the $486 million health system restructure is creating nothing more than layer upon layer of bureaucracy when what we actually need are more doctors and nurses and more money for cancer drugs.

“Costs are ballooning under Labour. What New Zealanders would rather see is their hard earned taxes spent on reducing appalling lengthy hospital waiting lists and funding cancer medicines.

“The increase in bureaucrats in health restructuring is shockingly wasteful spending. Put alongside a $785 million cycle bridge and a $2.75 million Mongrel Mob methamphetamine programme, the Government’s funding priorities are seriously out of whack.

“Labour is spending billions of taxpayer dollars but we aren’t seeing any results.

“KiwiBuild is still a failure. Light Rail still hasn’t left the station. There are still 4000 children living in motels. Kids aren’t turning up to school. There has been barely any progress on the new inpatient mental health facilities.

“This Labour Government needs to stop using taxpayer money to fund its political ideology and start putting value on doctors and nurses.”

You can find the answers to Written Parliamentary Questions here.