Media release from Labour health spokesperson Ruth Dyson

Labour is very concerned about the privatisation of Southern hospital services, Labour Health spokesperson Ruth Dyson says.

"Reports that senior doctors and nurses feel betrayed by a sham consultation process on privatisation of services in that area is concerning for the clinicians and patients but also the wider public," Ruth Dyson said.

"This is the third time in less than a year that clinicians have expressed serious concerns about sham consultation by the Southland and Otago DHBs. The first was over consultation around the merger of some services, the second was poor consultation on plans to offer private cancer treatment within Dunedin public hospital and now, the third, over the privatisation of Queenstown hospital services.

"DHBs around the country are cutting services and ignoring the needs of patients and clinicians because of instructions from the Minister of Health, Tony Ryall.

"Tony Ryall claimed he would listen to clinicians.  He must now step in to this row, if he is to try to recapture any of his integrity.

"It is unacceptable that in less than a year senior doctors have had to speak out so many times about concerns about clinical services in the Otago and Southland regions.

"Mr Ryall must step in and stop this privatisation madness that is so strongly opposed by clinicians.

"Southland and Otago are clearly being used by the Minister as a test case for increasing privatisation of services around New Zealand.

"The Minister is the one with the power in this situation and he must act before Queenstown loses key medical support. Privatisation failed in the 1990s under the previous National Government and it is doomed to fail now," Ruth Dyson says.