The health promises the Government kept, and didn’t, in 2024
Thursday, 2 January 2025
Daggers over Dunedin Hospital, a messy medicines pledge and health targets: has the Government handled health in the way it promised?
In a year of austerity, The Post did a stock take of what has quietly - or not so quietly - been stashed in the back row.
Cancer medicines
Promise: Fund 13 new cancer treatments
Outcome: Done, sort of.
It was of course, a major story when no money arrived in the May Budget, but by June the Government had announced $604m over four years for Pharmac to buy about 50 new treatments, for cancer and other conditions.
Forty-one new treatments have since been funded across 30 medicines. The latest four rolled out on January 1, for certain types of lung cancer, breast cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and RSV prevention.
In August The Post revealed the promise would cost $1b over five years, and mean other trade-offs in health.
Dunedin Hospital rebuild
Promise: Build Dunedin Hospital to the specification originally intended.
Outcome: Unlikely, options under consideration.
In September, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said the project would have to be scaled back, or it would blow out from $1.88b to $3b.
The news was met with record-breaking protests and push back in Dunedin, with more action planned.
Bishop has said the election promise was made before National had run the numbers.
Reinstate health targets
Promise: Reinstate five health targets, covering faster treatment for cancer, elective surgery, specialist visits, ED wait times and better immunisation coverage.
Outcome: Done.
National followed through on this promise to the letter, with the only change that some were more ambitious and specific than initially promised.
None have been reached so far nationally and health officials have warned that funding is needed to enable them to meet them.
Train more doctors
Promises: Establish a third medical school at the University of Waikato. A separate promise would increase Otago and Auckland medical places by 50 each year.
Outcome: Pending, and half-done.
A business case for the Waikato school provided confidence for it to progress to the next stage, according to Health Minister Shane Reti, but ACT leader David Seymour has said it skipped over key costs.
Budget 2024 provided funding for 25 more doctor places, with Reti saying at the time that future budgets would look to meet the original quota.
Bonding for nurses and midwives
Promise: Pay nurses’ and midwives’ student loan repayments up to $4500 a year for the first five years of their career.
Outcome: No commitment.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said this remains a “live” issue“ but in an interview with 1News in December, offered no commitment or timeline.
Nurse pay parity also remains a hot-button issue. In a pre-election debate, Luxon committed to ensuring nurses were paid the same regardless of where they worked, but no commitment has been made on this yet.
Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter has said more nurses will leave primary care and community health so long as the problem lingers.
In December, 36,000 hospital nurses and midwives who belong to NZNO took nationwide strike action over a “demoralising” pay offer and patient ratios.
Breast cancer screening
Promise: Lower screening age from aged 75 to 70-years-old.
Outcome: Agreed, roll-out delayed.
The plan was among the first policies announced post-election - in February, but many places won’t see it implemented until October 2025 as resourcing issues have slowed it down.
Bowel cancer screening
Promise: Pre-election, Luxon said he would lower the screening eligibility age from aged 60 to 50-years-old.
Outcome: Pending, no commitment.
The bowel screening eligibility age remains under “active consideration” Health NZ said in December, but the Government has refused to offer a time frame.
Reti has said he wants to await the findings from screening pilots, and advice from officials, before taking decisions.
Mental health specialists
Promise: Increase psychiatrist registrar places by 13 places a year and double the number of clinical psychologists trainees each year over four years.
Outcome: Done, depending who you ask
Psychiatrist trainee numbers increased to 50, though psychiatrists say the Government used outdated numbers to make the boost look bigger than it is.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey’s workforce plan boost clinical psychologist intern places from 40 to 80 by 2027.