The Southland Times: ‘You don’t want to get sick if you’re in the deep south’
Gore Health receives $13 million less funding than its closest comparable rural hospital, chief executive Karl Metzler has told the Save Our Public Healthcare Roady.
“It’s a litany of inequity,” he told Dr Malcolm Mulholland and Dr David Galler.
“You don’t want to get sick if you’re in the deep south.”
Karl spoke about patients travelling long distances for specialist care, referrals being declined or pushed back, and the impact on health workers trying to get their patients the care they need.
It echoes what Malcolm and David are hearing across Southland, from people struggling to find a GP to concerns about access to specialist services.
David said years of underinvestment and a focus on short-term cost cutting were taking their toll.
“We’re at a point where we have to think carefully before we vote. We need to come together and raise our voices.”
