August 06, 2019
Iwi provider under pressure from DHB cuts
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui says the Taranaki District Health Board is trying to cut its $23 million deficit by offloading South Taranaki healthcare onto the iwi.
Chief executive Debbie Ngarewa- Packer says the DHB is plotting to close the Hawera Hospital emergency department doors to everyone who doesn’t arrive in an ambulance and isn’t referred by a GP.
She says it is looking for health providers including iwi to fill in the gaps.
Ms Ngarewa Packer says the emergency department is the only after-hours service in south Taranaki, there are no weekend chemists, and waiting times for GPs are far too long already.
She says the DHB needs to be more innovative and relevant, as well as more transparent about its plans.
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