Kaitiaki Hauora, a nationwide coalition formed to protect and strengthen public healthcare, has launched a petition calling on the Government to halt what it describes as a growing shift towards privatisation.
The group includes doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, health researchers, community organisations and public health advocates concerned about the future direction of the health system, including the training of ophthalmologists.
In its petition, Kaitiaki Hauora said there has been no meaningful public consultation about the increasing use of private providers to deliver publicly funded healthcare services.
"If left unchecked, this shift will accelerate privatisation and reshape the [health] system in ways that are difficult to reverse – including undermining the training of future specialists and the sustainability of the public workforce," the coalition states.
The petition specifically calls for the outsourcing of ophthalmology services to stop, reflecting concerns about what Kaitiaki Hauora describes as a significant policy shift away from public provision.
