Hands of Love

National seeks health improvements as Labour provides a diagnosis.

You know he got the cure
You know he went astray
He used to stay awake
To drive the dreams he had away
He wanted to believe
In the hands of love
Hands of love

Songwriters: Paul David Hewson / Adam Clayton / Larry Mullen / Dave Evans.

---

Last night, I saw a Labour clip that looked awfully like a video they might use in an election campaign.

It was earnest and quite wooden. Laying out the fact that healthcare in this country has been going backwards since the coalition started pursuing goals contrary to the delivery of the sort of system they campaigned on.

As you might have heard, a Public Service Association survey of health workers has found that:

• 81% say cuts have damaged health services

• 86% say cuts will make it harder for people to get healthcare

• 72% agree health is underfunded

Those are mighty high numbers saying that the quality of our health system has degraded under this government, and the examples raised were damning:

• Cancer patients not getting adequate diagnosis to help guide their drug regimen.

• Nurses and social workers covering receptionist duties, removing them from clinical duties.

• IT support cuts effectively cutting frontline healthcare.

Prime Minister Luxon and Health Minister Brown attended yesterday afternoon's post-cabinet press conference. I assumed they would tell us that the system's workers were misguided and that only they, Christopher and Simeon, could see the reality of their success.

What else could they say? “We made the health system worse?”

Surely, at that point, it’s time for an election. It’s just false advertising—that’s not what people voted for.