1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,040 Speaker 1: So the government's health targets seem to be on track. 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: This is according to data released by Health New Zealand. 3 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Three out of the five goals are making good progress, 4 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: with youth immunization rates and access to cancer care improving. 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: So I'm joined now by the patient of the Chair 6 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: of Patient voices Altera Roa and Malcolm mal Holland. Wanting 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: to you, Malcolm, thank you for getting up early. How 8 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: are you? 9 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 2: Yeah? Good, thank you. 10 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: You doubt this data. 11 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 2: Very much. I've spoken to clinicians, oncologists, people who work 12 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 2: in the ED and none of them can believe, you know, 13 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 2: the story that the data is saying. 14 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: Well, yes, we've heard lots of complaints about underfunding in 15 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: the health sector. We've heard about Nelson this week, we've 16 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,840 Speaker 1: heard about Wanica, and yet the government says the statistics 17 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 1: are improving. How can they improve in spite of these accusations. 18 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, look, one of the metrics that is used 19 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 2: is about faster tenser treatment. So in that case, looking 20 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 2: at the time from the first appointment to the first treatment, 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 2: that's the wrong metric to be measuring. They need to 22 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 2: be looking at from the time of diagnosis to the 23 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 2: first appointment. We know that they are patients who are 24 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 2: waiting eight weeks or longer at Waikator, christ Each Wellington 25 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 2: in Southland, and in some of those cases the outcome 26 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 2: has been lethal. The patients have waited too long to 27 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 2: keep their first appointment. As a result, the tens to 28 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 2: have spread and there is very little the oncologists can 29 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 2: do at that point. 30 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: So you say the government is making the statement for 31 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: political reasons, and others might argue that you're making your 32 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: statements for political reasons because the government is investing thirty 33 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: billion dollars a year into the health system. That's an 34 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: awful lot of money. 35 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely it is, and I would love to know 36 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 2: you know how that thirty billion is spent. But my 37 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 2: motivations aren't political. They come from what is happening on 38 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: the ground. Another metric that is provided is around Edy 39 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 2: wake times. We note that the EDDY wake times don't 40 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 2: include walkout. We heard about Nelson where there was a 41 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 2: case where liver damage was caused by a walkout. I'm 42 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 2: aware of a case here at mid Central where a 43 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: patient went to ED, saw that it was overwhelmed, walked out, 44 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 2: died the following day at hospice. And we also know 45 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 2: that there were practices in the wider upper in Auckland 46 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 2: where eds were cooking the books. They were registering patients 47 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 2: being admitted virtually, but they weren't actually being seen, and 48 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 2: they were doing that as they neared the six hour 49 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 2: time frame. 50 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: But that's not the government's fault necessarily, that's actually the 51 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: people on the ground at Health New Zealand, particularly that 52 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: ed you mentioned who you claim was cooking the books. 53 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I think it does need to be a 54 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: level of honesty. But as I said to you, I've 55 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 2: engaged with nurses who have been working in these zed 56 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 2: departments and they claim that the practice is very much 57 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 2: alive and kicking, and that that comes from a certain 58 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 2: level of management who want to imprease the government, who 59 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:02,519 Speaker 2: want to look good. 60 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: All right, Malcolm and Holland, keep fixing out people, and 61 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: I thank you Chairperson of Patient Voices Alta. For more 62 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: from Early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to News 63 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the 64 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio.