1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,199 Speaker 1: Health New Zealand to FATO orders released around four hundred 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: pages of financial documents and it details a big turnaround 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: in March this year. We were expecting a big surplus. 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: By April a one point four billion dollar deficit. What 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: on earth went wrong? One bright spot is that overspending 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: has started to drop, albeit slightly. It was one hundred 7 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: and sixty three million dollars in July. It's down to 8 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: one hundred and forty nine million dollars for August. Joining 9 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: me this morning is Patient Advocate, a chair of Patient 10 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: Voice Altier At Malcolm mulholland. Malcolm, Good morning. 11 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: Morning, Ryan. 12 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: Are you worried about Health New Zealand's ability to actually count? 13 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 2: Yes, I was flabergasted at what was revealed yesterday. To 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 2: as you say, go from expecting a half a billion 15 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 2: dollar surplus to one point four billion dollar deficit in 16 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 2: the space of one month, to me, requires a lot 17 00:00:59,120 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 2: of explaining. 18 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: They have said that they've hired more nurses, more fte 19 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: nurses throughout the period and they thought that some would leave, 20 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: but they haven't, so they've ended up with more than 21 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:12,559 Speaker 1: they need. Presumably. 22 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I think that's just bulbish. It to be 23 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: Frank Ryan, There's no way you can tell me that 24 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 2: we have too many nurses right now in New Zealand. 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm doing a roadshow right now visiting communities 26 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 2: talking about healthcare, and they're all telling me we need 27 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 2: more nurses, we need more doctors. You've got masters in 28 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 2: hospital that did a calculation where they believe they are 29 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 2: forty nurses short while a hospital can't even open because 30 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 2: they don't have enough stuff. That tells me that the 31 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 2: FTE number by which Health New Zealand were calculating, you 32 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 2: know what is a good number was far too low 33 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 2: to begin with. 34 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: You're just not buying any of this. I mean, the 35 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: bigger problem for me is not necessarily where the spending 36 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: has come from, just the fact that they can can't 37 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: They didn't identify it, they weren't able to preempt it. 38 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: I mean, who is the person control and control of 39 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: the purse strings here? 40 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, look, that's a fantastic Christian and I think that 41 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 2: that's one that definitely requires more investigational questions to be 42 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 2: asked because we just simply do not know. And it's 43 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: not good enough that we don't know. We need to know. 44 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,839 Speaker 2: Health is the biggest expenditure item of the government. It's 45 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 2: always been like that and it will continue to be 46 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: that way. We need to be on top of our 47 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 2: finances when it comes to the New Zealand health system. 48 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: Hey, good luck with your rest of your road show, Malcolm. 49 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks that right. I'm looking forward to going to 50 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 2: AMU to madubsh Burton todaily in chrostage tomorrow and you know, 51 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 2: really concerned actually at the state of our health system 52 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 2: right now. 53 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:52,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, drive safe, Malcolm, Thanks so much for your time. 54 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: That's Malcolm mulholland. He's the chair of Patient Voice ALTI 55 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: at I. 56 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 2: For more from news talks. There'd be listen live on 57 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:01,399 Speaker 2: air or online and keep 58 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: Our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts 59 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.