- By Simeon Brown, MP for Pakuranga
Our health system has been falling apart on Labour’s watch and this is no better illustrated than by the massive shortage of nurses and midwives we have seen in recent years.
It has been estimated that, across the country, we are currently short about 4000 nurses needed in order to deliver the healthcare that New Zealanders expect and deserve.
This is a major factor in the longer wait times and overcrowded emergency departments we have seen and experienced too much of, and urgent action must be taken before it starts to cost lives.
A big part of this shortage is due to the aggressive recruitment of New Zealand-trained nurses by other countries, luring them to higher-paying options overseas.
This has to be addressed, and over the weekend National announced our policy to encourage nurses to stay in New Zealand and work here.
The key part of our plan is to offer to pay off a large portion of the student loan debt incurred by nurses training in New Zealand, up to $4500 a year for five years that they work here after graduating, a total of $22,500.
Many graduates don’t leave because they want to, but because they feel they need to in order to pay off their student loans.
This is a common reason why recent graduates take up offers overseas, so paying it off for them is a small thanks we can offer in return for staying and contributing their expertise here.
We will also offer a $10,000 relocation grant for nurses overseas to come to New Zealand, to better compete with other countries.
This would apply to up to 1000 qualified nurses or midwives and will help fill the shortage in a small space of time.
National has costed this policy at around $60 million a year, and we will pay for it out of the $400 million of savings we have committed to by reducing Labour’s spending on consultants and contractors.
Our health system is far from one anyone should expect out of a developed nation, and it is only going to get worse if we do not immediately take steps to address the issues we face.
This policy is just the first of several we will roll out to get our healthcare back to a level that Kiwis can trust will deliver and save lives.
