Gisborne health crisis deepens as staffing shortages bite

Atereano Mateariki Cushla Tangaere-Manuel | Gisborne health crisis deepens as staffing shortages bite

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Concerns are mounting over the state of healthcare in Gisborne, with Labour MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel warning of critical staff shortages and barriers to basic services like prescriptions.

This week, former Health Minister Ayesha Verrall joined the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP on a visit to Ngāti Porou Health, where Tangaere-Manuel says the situation is dire, with one clinic serving over 20,000 patients.

“Even if whānau are able to see a doctor, are able to get a prescription, sometimes the fee for the prescription is a real barrier, and people are not accessing the meds. That’s the issue with this government. There’s actually no plan to deal with these issues in the long term,” says Tangaere-Manuel.

In 2023, Labour scrapped the $5 prescription fee, which was reinstated by the current coalition government a year later.

Meanwhile, over 36,000 nurses are striking this week, forcing hospitals to delay more than 13,000 surgeries and appointments nationwide

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