Plunketline should be Government funded

A Health Select committee has recommended that the Government should be funding Plunket line and its refusal to do so and allow the Health Ministry to award the contract to someone else was was a mistake. The full report is here. Plunket President Kaye Crowther led a petition, signed by 53,000 people and organisations, including Barnardos and the NZ Nurses Organisation.

This report comes after many calls from parents to Healthline - one of whom rang up about their child swallowing poison and ws told to ring Poisonline - and another who rang Healthline and was told to ring Plunketline next time. The Healthline is only answering 86 percent of calls with substandard staff when it is contracted to answer 100 percent, whereas Plunketline when it was government-funded met its contractual obligations.

Plunketline is taking as nearly as many calls as Healthline at the moment.

The Government has 90 days to respond to the report. Will it admit its mistake?