The colourful ‘ambulance’ doctors Art Nahill and Glenn Colquhoun will drive on the Health Hīkoi from Kaitāia to Parliament to urge the public and politicians to do more for our health system.
A unique Hīkoi for Health Reform, led by two doctor-poets in a colourful ambulance, will head to Parliament from Kaitāia collecting stories from the public on health system issues along the way.
Sick of seeing health used as a ‘political football’ by all parties, and title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/backbone-of-the-health-system-calls-for-more-support-for-gps-the-front-page/2MNNQRKHGZCKTJVOUIS64VLKUM/">the system not improving, despite numerous ‘reforms’ over the past 30 years, the two doctors have decided to do something about it.
An initiative organised by Art Nahill and Glenn Colquhoun called Hīkoi for Health Reform: A People’s Inquiry, will be travelling in a second-hand van strikingly transformed into an ambulance/mobile artwork by renowned artist Nigel Brown.
They leave Kaitāia on Wednesday and will be holding public hui along the way to create momentum for urgent healthcare reform by collecting and curating people’s stories and suggestions which they will present on Parliament grounds on May 8.
The doctors said the healthcare crisis has driven the cross-country protest, that they describe as an exciting blend of art and advocacy.
Colquhoun is a GP focused on youth health and Nahill a general hospital physician.
They say the health system has been neglected by successive governments and has experienced unprecedented pressure on emergency departments, growing waiting lists, and difficulty accessing GP care.
“Our health system has a mauri - a life force. Protecting this is at the heart of health. I’m angry that it seems so utterly unappreciated by those who are charged with looking after it. I’m compelled to preserve this mauri,” Colquhoun said.
As a GP who has worked extensively in Northland, including some of the most isolated areas, Colquhoun has a unique perspective of how hard it is for some patients to access healthcare services when away from main centres.
He said he (aged 61) and Nahill (65) have extensive history in the health sector, but as they near retirement they want to get public momentum for positive changes to make healthcare better, and more accessible, for all.
“I’ve worked in some of those [isolated communities] and they are amazing communities, with fantastic resilience, but it was tough to see that they did not get as good an access to the health system as those in larger centres.”
Colquhoun said the two long-time doctors were frustrated at the state of the health system and that successive Governments have failed to arrest the decline.
“We are both not long from retirements and we feel like we would be leaving the health system in a far worse situation than when we started if we did not do something now,” he said.
“We have been seeing the ship slowly list more and more while it seems the people at the helm don’t really seem to know what they are doing - they do patch up after patch up - but the entire ship is sinking.
“And it’s taking all the passengers and crew down with it. It’s been decades of poor leadership at the top and they always come up with these top-down solutions that don’t actually solve anything.
“They never come to talk to the doctors and clinicians at the coal face or the people in the communities who have great ideas.”
This hīkoi would give those people a chance to tell their stories, offer solutions and then have them presented to Parliament.
“This journey is not merely a protest but an opportunity to foster positive momentum for the reform our health system requires. We can’t wait for governments to ‘see the light’ - we need to shine our passion and ideas so brightly they can’t turn away,” Nahill said.
Brown’s distinctive artwork envelops the ambulance with imagery that captures the urgency of the current healthcare landscape.
“This van work is designed to be both joy and gloom, allowing audiences to relate it to their personal experiences,” Brown said.
It is equipped with a recording studio inside, to take down conversations about reform - with the end aim being an equitable health system free from political squabbling.
Those interested in supporting their efforts can find their latest itinerary on their website healthreformnz.org or on social media #hikoiforhealth.
■ Glenn Colquhoun is a poet and children’s writer whose works have received multiple awards. He is a dedicated GP working in youth health, and his writing explores the intersections of medicine and humanity.
■ Art Nahill is a Harvard-trained physician and award-winning clinical teacher and poet whose career spans nearly 30 years. He is an Auckland-based specialist general physician, medical educator and writer. A former correspondent for the Boston Globe, he has published numerous articles advocating for healthcare reform in New Zealand.