“It’s a challenging one, healthcare, because we never have what we need. If the country was four times wealthier, we would still have issues and challenges that we would want to solve.
“We have to get the money out of the bureaucracy to the frontline, we have to put targets back in place and we have to build back the workforce.”
As part of this, Luxon said National would focus on retaining nurses with the incentives in lieu of a five-year bond to NZ Healthcare, as well as three new medical schools.
“The third medical school will be focused on regional New Zealand.
“A trainee doctor over a four-year programme will come here to Hawke’s Bay, work in Hawke’s Bay Hospital and train here. We know the research says that you would get socially attached here and you end up becoming a GP or a doctor at the local hospital.”
He said fixing the healthcare system was a “step process”: getting doctors and nurses into regional New Zealand, and then focusing on building and renovating hospitals.
Te Whatu Ora confirmed last month the Government had included Hawke’s Bay in its regional hospital redevelopment programme (RHRP).
Labour’s Tukituki MP Anna Lorck, who has advocated for a new hospital during her tenure, said serious work on the feasibility and clinical services plans was already under way.
“This critical front-end work would set up the first stage of what will be the single greatest infrastructure project for our region,” she said.
“At the same time, we must invest on urgently upgrading the existing ICU and ED departments so that there are facilities that can keep working and meet demand while the rebuild progresses.”
Lorck said she was confident she was being heard at a national level.
“Hawke’s Bay deserves our new regional hospital, [which] will provide world-class health and hospital facilities.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.
