If you want to see a good cross section of a city, sit in the emergency department at the local hospital for 5 hours.  

I did this on Thursday evening after my son’s cold led to a chest infection.  

Due of the thick protective glass in reception, we needed to speak loudly to explain our situation to staff. After answering their questions I felt the whole reception area knew all about us and what was up. So I wasn’t exactly eavesdropping over the next few hours as others arrived and shared their stories, but it was both an interesting distraction from the long wait and a glimpse into their lives.  

Circumstances varied, as did opinions on how long they felt they should wait before being seen. We hadn’t meant to be clogging up the system, but an emergency clinic doctor decided, at the cost of $100, that it was easier to send us to hospital than give us the time to see if we could ease my son’s situation.  

So, there we were. We were triaged very quickly and thoroughly. All possible scenarios were prepped for and tests and x-rays completed. And then the wait to see a doctor. When we did see one they were hugely apologetic; as was I.  

I asked if a 4 to 5 hour wait was a usual midweek evening. The doctor answered that the wait wasn’t just normal for that evening, it was normal regardless of the time of day. Hitting 100 percent ward capacity is normal. Taking up to 8 hours to get a bed in a ward is normal.  

I was prepared to wait to get peace of mind that my son’s breathing and chest pains would clear, and the care we got was exceptional. I’m not complaining about the wait. Waiting is part of the NZ health system. I was prepared, I had a hefty book. What concerns me much more is that this situation is not sustainable for clinicians - clinicians we can’t afford to lose.  

When a doctor’s departing words are to ‘think carefully about who you’ll vote for this election’, the gravity of the situation hits home.  

None of this is a surprise. We hear all the time about how emergency departments are one of the main indicators of how a health system is functioning. We know it’s too hard to see a GP. As I discovered, it’s too expensive to go to a private accident and medical clinic unless you’ve had an accident. We know we don’t enough post-hospital care in the community so people can leave hospital quicker and free up beds.  

It was pointed out to me on Thursday evening that when considering the population growth in Auckland we needed another hospital 20 years ago. Not that we’d have the staff to run it - we’re unable to find enough for what we have now. 

We have a relatively small population, so why can’t we get this right? The 2022 budget provided the new health entity with an additional $1.8 billion for 2022 – 2023, and an additional $1.3 billion in 20023- 2024, to address historic and future cost pressures.  

Are you confident we’ll see a solution to the long, ongoing problem of creating a health system which looks after our people and those who work in it? I'm not.  

This week we were subjected to pathetic politicking and lazy mistakes. We’ve had a high-level minister marched off to the Privileges Committee for a mistake that needed to be rectified months ago, a minister reading the wrong speech in Parliament, MPs’ quotes taken out of context and used as cheap shots, and an opposition party which needed to take several runs at working out their policies on bilingual road signs and chemist prescriptions.  

We deserve so much better. Those working in emergency departments deserve better. The people sitting in the waiting room with their real world problems deserve better.  

At the moment it seems all we’re getting are distractions and side shows. What we need is less ghost-lighting, more honesty, a thorough understanding of issues and some common sense solutions.  

If our elected representatives can’t deliver this, they shouldn’t be running in October. 

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