Source: ACT Party
Headline: Middlemore a prime example of public sector incompetence
“So far, $11 million of operations, doctor’s appointments, and prescriptions have been lost thanks to incompetent government management by National and Labour”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“Leaky building issues at Middlemore Hospital shows the problem with governments owning assets – they are poor managers of capital.
“This is a good lesson in property rights.
“Private owners of assets have strong financial incentives to maximise their value because they get the benefits from doing so.
“By contrast, when the public owns an asset, the bureaucrats and politicians that manage those assets have little incentive to take care of them. Instead, problems are swept under the carpet until they are leaked to journalists.
“We have seen health budgets increase year after year, while patient satisfaction is at its lowest level since 2006.
“The issues with our health system are structural.
“We need greater competition and private sector involvement in our health system to ensure that New Zealanders get the best bang for their health dollar” says Mr Seymour.