Whakatāne District Mayor Dr Victor Luca is encouraging anyone concerned about the current state of NZ’s health system to find the time next Wednesday to tune in, or turn up, to a Virtual Health Conference.

“The planning’s been ongoing since October of last year, as it’s taken a lot of coordinating speaker’s diaries to get the line-up I was after.”

“I’ve been advocating for years, largely through my Grey Power role, for an equitable public health system because our current system is two-tiered and class based.  I have watched with dread the privitisation by stealth of our current health system. Chronic underfunding is a key concern and the situation with Obstetrics at Whakatāne Hospital at present is one symptom of a failing system.”

“I’ve secured some very high calibre speakers for the virtual conference who will explore critical topics related to the current health system. I really encourage people to join the conference online via Council’s Youtube channel, or come along to the Tōtara Room- Chambers at the Council building.”

The virtual conference, which will be chaired by Mayor Luca, starts at 8.30am and is expected to run to 3pm.

Speakers include:

• Professor Steve Keen - Head of School of Economics, History and Politics at Kingston University, London.
• Ian Powell - former Executive Director of Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
• Professor Robin Gauld – Executive Dean Bond Business School
• Professor Peter Crampton - Professor of Public Health, the Centre for Hauora Māori at the University of Otago                            
• Terry Taylor -  specialist medical laboratory scientist
• Alexander (Sandy) Milne, MBE, FNZIMLT - former principal lab scientist Whakatāne Hospital; Honorary Fellow, NZ Institute of Medical Laboratory Science
• Dr Prabani Wood - National Clinical Advisor for Long Term Conditions, Te Whatu Ora; member of Performance Assessement Committe for the Medical Council, GP and GP teacher