Between 700 to 1000 people turned out to The Strand in support of the Hīkoi for Health, in protest of the downgrade of Whakatāne Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology department. Photo / Samantha Scown
Between 700 to 1000 people turned out to The Strand in support of the Hīkoi for Health, in protest of the downgrade of Whakatāne Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology department. Photo / Samantha Scown
Up to 1000 people marched to protest the downgrading of obstetrics and gynaecology services at WhakatāneHospital.
East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick criticised the health system’s centralised management.
Chants of “Don’t ghost our coast” and “Safe birthing is our right” rang out as placard-carrying protesters of all ages walked from Mitchell Park to Wharaurangi on The Strand.
Hīkoi for Health Coalition member and Whakatāne councillor Nandor Tanczos estimated between 700 and 1000 people took part.
In welcoming the crowds at Mitchell Park before the hīkoi, he said: “We stand with our midwives, we stand with our doctors, we stand with our nurses, and we stand with our hospital support staff who everyone at our hospitals need to do their jobs properly.”
East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick at the Hīkoi for Health.
“As a mother I know the anxiety that comes when you are pregnant and know you are facing that birth – this situation has escalated that anxiety throughout our community, and it is just not acceptable.
“Our children are our taonga, our future and our everything.
“It’s a travesty that in a centralised health system we have ended up with more managers than ever, but they couldn’t manage this issue in a timely and efficient way to ensure our māmā and pēpē were prioritised.”
She asked people to share their stories with her, and their solutions to these problems so she could take them to Parliament.
She said she and the Hīkoi for Health Coalition would be pushing for regular public updates on recruitment and the local health services, and if these were not delivered, she would call for another public meeting with community support in a few months' time.
Members of the crowd called for “more funding” throughout the march and speeches.
Speakers at Wharaurangi included Labour Party mental health spokeswoman and Taieri MP Ingrid Leary, Association of Salaried Medical Specialist union organiser Sarah Dalton, local midwife Brogen McBeth on behalf of local maternity caregivers and independent midwives, Green Party MP and health spokeswoman Huhana Lyndon, Enid Ratahi-Pryor, the chief executive of Te Tohu o Te Ora Ngāti Awa, and Whakatāne Act Local’s Dave Stewart.
McBeth assured mothers local midwives would support them through any potential changes and staffing issues.
Councillor Nandor Tanczos welcomes those who gathered for the Hīkoi for Health on Saturday.
“We are here for you down in the East Coast. Raise your voices to fight for this service but know that we have you in the background,” she said.
Tanczos said the hīkoi was “fantastic”.
“The community turned out in force to express their concern and anger. I think we sent a powerful message to Te Whatu Ora and the Government.”
He said the Hīkoi for Health Coalition would be sending a list of six demands to Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora and the Minister of Health this week.
“It’s important for a community like ours to stand up and have a voice for these kinds of things.”
Hīkoi for Health Coalition member Vanessa Marjoribanks said she felt proud of the community’s response.
“Te Whatu Ora have underestimated our anger. Our community will not let go of our right to a fully functional hospital. We know that our medical professionals are some of the best in the world, and we are fully behind them.
“Last month, our MP was saying this was simply a recruitment issue.
Families turned out to the hīkoi with crafted signs to support local hospital staff and mothers.
“Now we know that was a smokescreen for dysfunctional management.
“The East Coast community will continue to demand accountability and the return of our adequately resourced hospital service.”
Health NZ working to restore services
In a Facebook post on Friday, Health NZ Bay of Plenty said it was making progress to restore secondary maternity services at Whakatāne Hospital’s Ko Matariki maternity unit.
That included “good interest” from new senior doctors and talking to ones who previously worked in Whakatāne about “where we can make beneficial changes”.
The post said a general manager of Whakatāne Hospital appointment would soon be announced to strengthen local leadership, and a director had been appointed to a taskforce to oversee restoring the services.
A phone line to a midwife was available 24/7 (0800 429 328) as well as free food, transport and accommodation for patients and whānau who had to travel to Tauranga to give birth, in addition to a dedicated ambulance for transfers.
“We know how much you value this service, and we are committed to a return to a secondary birthing service in Whakatāne as soon as possible.”
In a response to RNZ following the hīkoi, Health NZ deputy chief executive for the Midland region Cath Cronin said the protest showed “how crucial the service is, and how strongly local people feel about it. We intend to do more in Whakatāne, not less”.
“We want to reassure the community that if people require hospital-level care, they will continue to receive it.”
