The Buller Declaration is a petition started in September last year following the closure of the Buller regional hospital on the West Coast.
The petition states healthcare is in a state of crisis and requires intervention by the government as well as the allocation of more resources for staffing issues.
It also states the rural, Māori and poorer populations are being further victimised by this crisis, and the government must meet its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.
Already the petition has received thousands of signatures, with more to come as it sits in the foyer of Gore Health until the end of the month.
Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler said there was a tremendous amount of pressure being put on hospitals, especially down South, due to a medical downturn.
"General practices are like the canary in the coal mine. When they’re not running or resourced well, you see the flow-on effect in EDs [emergency departments].
"Our little rural ED has gone from 6000 visits in 2021/22, to a 45% increase to over 10,000 visits this financial year. This is not sustainable," he said.
Waiting lists are only growing longer, Mr Metzler said, it was becoming nearly impossible to access specialists in Southland.
Mr Metzler said in a region with such strong economic drive there needed to be some reciprocity for the health sector down South.
"We are a major food basket for this country and I think we’re really getting short changed on the healthcare front, despite the tax dollars we contribute."
Mr Metzler was hoping to raise awareness of the issue and also the petition.
He was optimistic it would get a lot of support from the community.
Tomorrow, Gore Health will be hosting Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey, who is responsible for mental and rural health.
Mr Metzler said although he will be discussing issues with the minister, it would also be a great chance to promote what a rural hospital can be.
"Gore has a lot to showcase and celebrate as a community-owned, integrated health facility. It’s quite unique and I think we should be proud.
"But it’s also an opportunity to highlight some of the rural inequity of being a trust-owned hospital."
Mr Metzler said as a trust-owned hospital, funding from Health New Zealand was a drop in the bucket compared to other facilities.
