John MacDonald: Why no more after-hours funding for Christchurch?

Here’s a story someone told me this morning about what happened within the last six-or-so weeks, when a Christchurch woman took her teenage daughter to the after-hours surgery.

I’m telling you this because the Government has announced that there’s going to be increased funding in Thursday’s budget for after-hours medical care.

Which is great. I’m not going to bag the Government for that. And the fact that people in rural areas are going to get better access to urgent healthcare is great.

But there’s an aspect of yesterday’s announcement that makes no sense to me.

It’s the fact that none of that extra funding is coming Christchurch's way. New Zealand’s second-largest city, and there’s not going to be anything extra pumped into after hours healthcare here.

This is the place where, in the last year or so, we’ve had the 24 hour surgery unable to operate 24/7. Where we’ve had the emergency department turning people away. Shutting its doors because people can’t get into the after hours or can’t afford the after hours and the ED gets overwhelmed.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Here's a story someone told me just this morning about
what happened within the last six or so weeks when
a christ Church woman took your teenage daughter to the
after our surgery. I'm telling you this because as you
may have heard, as you may know, the government has
announced that there is going to be increased funding in

(00:33):
Thursday's budget for after ours medical care, which is the
top line brilliant, fantastic. I'm not going to bag the
government for that. Who would bag the government for putting
more money into health and the fact that people in
rural areas are going to get better access to urgent healthcare. Brilliant,
absolutely brilliant. But there's an aspect of yesterday's announcement that

(00:56):
makes no sense to me at all. It's the fact
that none of this extra funding is coming our way.
I'm talking to you, coming our way. This is New
Zealand's second largest city and there's not going to be
anything extra pumped into after ours healthcare here. This is

(01:18):
the place where in the last year or so, what
do we had We've had the twenty four hour surgery
unable to live up to its name and operate twenty
four to seven where we've had the emergency department turning
people away, shutting its doors. Why is that because people
can't get into the after ours or can't afford the
after ours and the eed gets overwhelmed. And this is

(01:40):
the city where what I'm about to tell you won't
be a one off. It won't be unusual, it won't
be the only example, but it illustrates why it makes
no sense whatsoever not to increase the level or capacity
of after our services available here. So here's what happened.

(02:04):
This woman I was told about this small she took
her teenage daughter to the after Hours in christ Church
and I won't go into any medical details other than
to say that her order was very unwell, very unwell,
and eventually it was discovered that she was so unwell
that she needed surgery, which did happen eventually, so her

(02:29):
mother took her to the after hours. When they waited
six and a half hours to be seen by someone,
they eventually saw a doctor who told them, well, nothing
could be done for them at the after ours and
they needed to go to the emergency department at christ
Church Hospital. So they went to the hospital and this

(02:50):
young woman, she was in a pretty bad way, and
they waited through the night until about four point thirty
the following morning, when someone came out and told them, actually,
we're full, there's no room at the inn. We're too busy,
too busy at the emergency department, so they couldn't help,
and they were given a voucher for a free video

(03:12):
call consultation and sent home. So all up, they'd waited
about twelve hours to go to the after hours, to
be sent to the emergency department, and to be told
by the emergency department that they were too busy, and
then sent home with a voucher for a video consultation.
So they did the video consultation when they got home

(03:33):
at the end of all that, and the person doing
the video consultation said, you need to go back to
the emergency department. So they went back to the emergency department.
I hope you're keeping track of the story, because jeep
is some aspects to it. They went back to the
emergency department, they saw a doctor who said, oh, yeah,
you're not good, are you, and told them that the

(03:54):
young woman needed surgery. So this all happened on a
Sunday in TI a Monday, so there wasn't even the
Friday and Saturday factors here to concern it. You know,
went after ours. Clinics and emergency to sartments are typically
at their busiest. But under the government's plan announced yesterday,
nothing is going to change here in the christ w

(04:14):
Ech area. No extra funding and stories like the one
of it just told you will happen over and over again.
You might even have a story of your own. You
might have a story like it. So after waiting all
day and night, they had the video consultation about mid
morning and the surgery was done pretty much within twenty
four hours. That's how unwell she was. So the Prime Minister,

(04:37):
he says, the government's plan is all about restoring faith
in the country's healthcare system. He says, quote, when a
child's fever spikes in the middle of the night, parents
have somewhere to go without delay, without delay, when an
elderly person suffers from a fall, they won't be left
waiting in pain. End of quote. Now I don't I
don't know how. I don't know how he can say

(05:00):
that to us here in christ Church. I don't know
how we can say that to the people. And why
am I Coaly, for example, still waiting for an after
hour surgery one on the way apparently, but it will
be another fourteen months or so, and to be honest,
I believe I want to see it because the private
outfit behind that one, they've been dragging the chain for
ages now. But even then that won't solve the problem

(05:22):
of cost. It will still be too expensive for some
people to go to the after ours and they'll still
try to rely on the emergency department at the hospital.
But that's how things are going to remain here in
Greater christ Church. And it is so wrong. We live
in New Zealand's second largest city and when it comes
to after ours healthcare, we are being short changed big time.

(05:49):
I'll tell you what we deserve, better, way better.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
For more from Catergory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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