Open letter to the Prime Minister
Dear Prime Minister,
Every 90 minutes, someone dies from heart disease in New Zealand.
By the time you go home tonight, five families will have lost a loved mother, father, grandparent, child, or sibling. Many of those lives could be saved with better care.
You have the power to make that happen.
Kia Manawanui Trust – The Heart of Aotearoa New Zealand is calling on you to save Kiwis living with heart disease.
The health system is failing Kiwis who have heart disease. Here’s how:
Patients who have a heart attack are waiting for up to two weeks for an in-patient angiogram which they should be getting within three days
Many patients need elective cardiac surgery (coronary artery and heart valve surgery) within 30 days, but, currently, two-thirds of patients are breaching this waiting time
Echocardiograms are the gateway to therapy for people with heart failure and are vital in the diagnosis of patients with suspected valve disease. In some regions, patients are currently waiting for 4 to 6 months for an urgent echocardiogram (this should usually be performed within 2 to 4 weeks)
Prime Minister, waiting lists have blown out of control. We cannot stand by and let this happen.
The system is broken, and New Zealanders are paying with their lives.
But it’s not too late to turn it around. Your Government can be the one that makes a difference by investing in cardiac care now:
More cardiac beds (particularly in larger centres) to speed up wait times
More cardiac staff, and the funding to support the resources that go with them
Investment in theatres, diagnostic procedures and access to life-saving medications and essential medical equipment
Kia Manawanui Trust – The Heart of Aotearoa New Zealand is backed by leading cardiologists who see the devastation daily – lives cut short because our system is overwhelmed and under-resourced.
We know you want the best for all Kiwis. You certainly wouldn’t want them to die waiting for heart surgery or treatment.
Please act now. We are ready to help.
Sincerely,
Letitia Harding (Chief Executive Officer) and Dr Sarah Fairley (Medical Director)