Waimarino health group targets RHA for answers to cuts

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 591, 20 June 1995, Page 1

Waimarino health group targets RHA for answers to cuts

Waimarino' s newly-formed health watchdog group has called for the Regional Health Authority to advise the community as to what services it intends to purchase for the area, following Good Health Wanganui' s announcement that outpatient care for Waimarino will be provided at Taihape. They also called on the RHA to meet with them to explain the "hopefully positive response to our concerns for availability, accessibility and equity to health services". Representatives from various Waimarino groups

gathered last Friday to form the Waimarino Community Health Taskforce to respond to the "unexpected and unacceptable outline of health cuts for the Waimarino in the Good Health Wanganui 1995 - 1998 Business Plan", according to spokesperson Justine Adams. The taskforce is initially made up of representatives of community groups including the Waimarino Community Health Group with the facility to expand as the need indicates. Ruapehu District Council mayor, Garrick Workman, is to chair the Task Force. "Residents of Ohakune, Raetihi and their rural

environs are showing extreme concern at these sudden developments outlined in the GHW Business Plan," said Mrs Adams. "They have already accepted reductions and changes in their delivery of services including the redundancy of their old hospital in favour of a new health unit in Raetihi 's main street, (now under construction)." She said the meeting showed great concern that the matemity and obstetric services, considered by the community to be most appropriate for the area and on the top of their list of essentials in the health care plan appeared to have "received the knife" from Good Health Wanganui.

The group' s unanimous initial direction is to seek urgent answers from the Central Regional Health Authority (CRHA) as to their exact intentions for purchasing health services for the W aimarino from 1 July 1995. "As has been stressed, there has been no official indication from the CRHA that the services previously considered appropriate now no longer have that status," stated Mrs Adams. "We are aware that the CRHA has a requirement for six months notification to the affected community of a change, in this case, a possible withdrawal of previously accepted and agreed services."