Column by Hon Barbara Edmonds, MP for Mana.
It has been a year since the General Election, and never in my time have I observed or witnessed a Government so out of touch with what matters to our communities. Whether it was one of their first decisions to unwind world-leading smokefree laws to bring in $1 billion for their tax cuts, the cancellation of the new Interislander ferries, a $216 million tax break to a single tobacco company, removing the First Home Grant, significantly reducing the number of social housing builds, scaling down hospital and school property projects across the country, record numbers of Kiwis leaving our shores, or high unemployment… it is easy to think this couldn’t get worse. But it does, with the introduction of a divisive and wasteful use of public money for the Treaty Principles Bill that only the Act Party supports.
One issue close to home has been the uncertainty regarding the future of Kenepuru’s After-Hours Service. I want to acknowledge the concern this has caused and reaffirm my commitment: everyone deserves the right to face-to-face healthcare and equal treatment, especially the people of Mana.
Kenepuru Hospital serves over 80,000 people across the Mana electorate, including Porirua, Tawa, and the Kāpiti Coast. These communities have a high density of over-65s, one of the youngest populations in the country, high deprivation, as well as tangata whaikaha.
Last month, it was heartening to see over 200 of you at our public meetings in Porirua and Raumati. From the corners of Kāpiti to the boundaries of Tawa, we gathered to send a clear message to this National Government: Keep Kenepuru After-Hours Open! These meetings provided a platform for health professionals, union members, and elected officials to discuss the critical importance of this service to our community. Health New Zealand officials present at these meetings indicated their intention to keep the service open.
However, it has since become evident that the Minister of Health, Dr Shane Reti, does not intend to review the current staffing model at Kenepuru Hospital. Instead, he supports the use of telehealth as a backup option. Many of you have expressed concerns about relying on telehealth as a fallback. Whether due to language barriers, cost, or physical accessibility, telehealth cannot be the solution. We also know that many of the presentations from 10pm to 8am involve respiratory issues that cannot be treated over tele-conferencing.
Our community needs assurance that staffing rosters will be filled and that our health professionals have the necessary resources to perform their duties effectively.
Earlier this year, public hospitals were tasked with finding $105 million in savings by July. It is evident that these savings have led to frontline cuts, putting members of our community at risk.
I, along with our Labour Health Spokesperson, Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, will continue to hold this Government accountable and ensure they understand the impact their health cuts are having on our communities.
I want to thank the people of the wider Wellington region for their continued support in this fight. Our region knows that the reduction of service in one health centre just puts more pressure on the others. It truly takes a village to unify, and I am immensely proud of ours.
As always, if you wish to be involved in this campaign or want to share your Kenepuru story, please reach out to my office at [email protected].
In the meantime, my team and I are working behind the scenes to plan the next steps of this campaign. Telehealth is a cut, and I will continue to work hard to ensure we all have equitable access to face-to-face healthcare.