Brown denies telling hospitals to save money amid ‘challenging’ flu season

The health system has been under significant pressure this winter, with Auckland City Hospital saying it has been worse than expected. On Tuesday, Tauranga Hospital emergency department (ED) staff declared a 'state of emergency', saying the ED was running up to 200% capacity without the staffing needed. In July, ED staff at North Shore Hospital said they faced chronic understaffing with some patients waiting 50 hours. Elective surgeries have also been postponed as winter illnesses surge. In July, Christchurch Hospital ED's Dr Dominic Fleisher said a few minutes would be acceptable, but "patients are there for hours overnight". In August, St John's director of ambulance operations Doug Gallagher told RNZ they were getting a call every 20 seconds, which was not sustainable. "No doubt it's been a very challenging winter," Health Minister Simeon Brown told RNZ’s Morning Report programme on Wednesday.