The co-chair of the Nurses’ Organisation’s student unit, says the government can no longer deny frontline hospital services aren’t affected by health cuts.
Shannyn Awhina Bristowe says a pause on hiring student nurses means many are heading for Australia as soon as they graduate.
That’s creating staffing gaps in hospital wards on this side of the Tasman.
“Frontline services are being affected everywhere we look – frontline services and the government really needs to stop. They can’t claim ignorance at this point, because its very much known. There is so many issues and there’s so many problems that we’re facing with these cuts -t he funding and everything – but it’s the patients that are suffering at the end of the day,” Ms Bristowe says.
She hopes she doesn’t have to leave the country when she graduates next January from her three-year degree.
