Lolly scramble too little too late

Kiri Allan

Opinion

THE Government is making lolly-scramble political promises with tax payers’ cash one week out from an election. From roading to the arts to health care – Gisborne is now clearly on the Government’s agenda, again. Like it was in 2014 — a few weeks out from the last general election. While all investment into Gisborne is welcomed, political gaming a few days out from an election is not.

On 12 September 2014, eight days before the 2014 general election, the Hon Anne Tolley and Member of Parliament for the East Coast, announced a new medical day ward, used for a cancer treatment, will be built at Gisborne Hospital in 2015.

This year, seven days out from the 2017 general election, the Member of Parliament for the East Coast has effectively made the same 2014 promise again. On 16 September 2017, the member was onsite at the Gisborne Hospital to confirm that plans for a purpose-built day facility to treat cancer patients at Gisborne Hospital would be going to the Hauora Tairawhiti Board at the end of next month.

Public access to cancer treatment facilities should have improved a long time ago and this is another example of a lolly-scramble cash-splash that is too little and too late. The funds for the cancer treatment day-facility were set aside last election but there has been a severe lack of urgency for our region and this government has to be held accountable for the failures to the Gisborne community.

The sad reality is that this government has been making promises to Gisborne for nine years and failing to follow through.

New Zealand’s health system is underfunded. Radically. Since 2010, National has underfunded our health system by $2.3 billion than that needed ?to keep up with inflation, population growth and ageing. Health now needs $6.7 billion just to stand still over the next four years.

The underfunding has started to show. This week, we’ve seen the Minister for Health pedalling backwards as it comes to light that one in five Kiwis with cancer have had to wait over eight weeks for treatment. Southern DHB chief medical officer Nigel Miller confirmed that in his area at least six men have had their life expectancy shortened due to delays in cancer treatment.

In New Zealand, cancer treatment has been a “post code” lottery with Gisborne being on the losing end. Labour will end that type of lottery when it comes to New Zealanders’ health and establish a National Cancer Agency. The National Cancer Agency will lift the standard of cancer care by working with DHBs to ensure best practice and making budget bids with DHBs for more staff and equipment out of Labour’s $8 billion investment in improving the health system. The agency will oversee prevention, detection, treatment of cancer, and improving outcomes for survivors. Similar approaches have proven to be effective in the UK and Canada.

This year voters have a choice between a Labour-led government that is committed to action, urgency and energy versus drift and more of the same. The same-old, same-old veneer is cracking and when you have a health system that is $2.3 billion underfunded, you can’t just apply sticky tape to fix it.

Promises for votes doesn’t cut it. Gisborne needs a government that cares about our region and after nine years of drifting, it’s time for immediate action and change.