Headline: New Hospital specialists: Some DHBs more equal than others
the Government doesn’t seem to have any sort of plan for developing a health sector workforce capable of meeting future health needs
Green Party Health spokesperson Kevin Hague today released information provided by the Minister of Health that shows new medical and surgical specialists employed since the National Government took office have been very unevenly distributed and that some regions are missing out.
“The new specialist positions have been too few to keep pace with a growing and aging population across New Zealand and this sparse resource has been spread even thinner in some regions because the Minister has allowed a very uneven distribution,” said Mr Hague.
“Fully 55% of the new hospital specialist doctors have been employed in the Auckland region, while other regions have had no increase at all, or even cuts.”
- Hawke’s Bay has received just 5 new specialists, which is only 1% of the total. This is despite Hawke’s Bay having the worst population to specialist ratio in New Zealand. The Hawke’s Bay nursing workforce also fell by almost 22 full time equivalents in the same three year period.
- Taranaki has received just 7.3 full time equivalents new specialists, which is less than 2% of the total. This is despite Taranaki having the second worst population to specialist ratio in New Zealand. The Taranaki nursing workforce increased by less than 1% of the national increase in the same three year period.
- The Wairarapa has actually lost specialist medical officers and received less than 1% of the country’s new nurse positions.
- Whanganui have had no increase at in specialist doctors.
- Hutt Valley has actually lost the highest number of nursing full time equivalents in the country in that same three year period.
- Canterbury has only had a 4% increase in senior medical officers despite having 11% of the country’s population and some of the more complicated medical needs.
- The West Coast has only had an increase of two specialist medical officer full time equivalents.
“Pretty well every region in New Zealand has an aging population with increasing health needs. This incoherent pattern of distribution for badly needed new specialist doctors illustrates very well that the Government doesn’t seem to have any sort of plan for developing a health sector workforce capable of meeting future health needs,” said Mr Hague.
“What these figures also reveal is a continued concentration of the specialist workforce in the biggest centres, leaving provincial hospitals struggling to survive.
“People who live in rural and provincial New Zealand also have a right to the specialist health services needed for them to lead good lives and the Greens will ensure a fair future for all New Zealanders,” said Mr Hague.
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