New organisation to address broken heart healthcare system

A new heart organisation backed by leading cardiologists has one goal - to save lives by addressing urgent issues within New Zealand’s failing health system.

Kia Manawanui Trust - The Heart of Aotearoa New Zealand has been formed to address several major issues facing cardiac care in New Zealand, from long wait times for heart surgeries to shortages of cardiologists and surgical teams.

Late last year, this situation reached a tipping point, with health officials proposing to send cardiac patients to Australia for treatment to ease the growing pressure on New Zealand’s hospitals.

Trust Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says New Zealand’s heart health system is in crisis and we need to take urgent action.

National standards, as agreed by the New Zealand National Cardiac Surgery Clinical Network and the New Zealand Branch of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, state that cardiac patients should receive treatment and/or surgery within 90 days. Currently, more than half of all patients are waiting longer.

"Wait times for surgery have stretched far beyond what is safe, and the consequences are devastating," Ms Harding says.

"We cannot accept a system that is failing some of our most vulnerable and we will not stand by while more and more New Zealanders die from inadequately funded and supported cardiac health services.

"Kia Manawanui Trust is here to be the voice for every Kiwi who deserves timely, high-quality cardiac care."

Trust Medical Director Dr Sarah Fairley, and Wellington-based cardiologist, says the country has reached a point where preventable deaths are a reality.

"The system is buckling under pressure, and patients are paying the price as they wait for essential heart surgeries, procedures and access to medical devices and medicines.

"These are not just numbers; these are real people who are being disadvantaged by unacceptable wait times, staff shortages, and overwhelmed hospitals," she says.

"New Zealand’s heart health services are in a state of crisis."

These issues highlight a desperate need for more resources, access to cardiac medicines that save lives, reduced wait times for diagnostic procedures, and more trained cardiac staff, Dr Fairley says.

"We need to take an urgent look at what we can do to change these outcomes.

"The system is clearly failing and we need to address that now."

The launch of Kia Manawanui Trust - The Heart of Aotearoa New Zealand and the formation of its Cardiology Advisory Board marks a significant step forward in advocating for better heart care and addressing systemic issues to provide better health outcomes for those with heart disease.

The Trust is committed to providing leadership and expertise in cardiac health, while also raising public awareness about the critical state of New Zealand’s heart health services.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in New Zealand.