Doctors and poets lead hīkoi for reform of ‘broken’ health system

Two doctors, who are also both poets, will lead a hīkoi to Parliament in late April, calling for nationwide health reforms.

Dr Art Nahill and Dr Glenn Colquhoun have launched the Hikoi for Health: A People's Inquiry in response to what they say is a failing health system.

Dr Nahill says the purpose of the hīkoi is “to let people know that the health system can and must be changed".

“The health system is badly broken. People can't access primary care (GPs), hospitals are overrun, people wait too long for X-rays, scans, specialist appointments, and many kinds of treatments.

"And doctors, nurses, and other health professionals are overworked, exhausted, and burning out.

“We want to collect people's healthcare stories, good or bad, and their suggestions for reform, and amplify those voices when we present the preliminary results of our ‘people's inquiry into healthcare reform' on Parliament grounds in May.”

The other doctor involved, Dr Glenn Colquhoun, says the hīkoi is not about just criticising the health system.

“We are mainly interested in finding solutions to its problems. We believe it is time to be innovative and courageous. An important goal of the protest is to stimulate debate and encourage others to offer solutions."

Both doctors are known for their poetry and the connections they make between literature and health.

Dr Nahill is a Harvard-trained doctor and award winning clinical teacher, whose career has spanned nearly 30 years. He is also an award-winning poet who has published in the US and New Zealand, including four books of poetry.

He is a former correspondent for the Boston Globe and has written on the need for healthcare reform in New Zealand.

Dr Colquhoun is a poet and children’s writer, who was awarded the Prize in Modern Letters in 2004 and a Fulbright scholarship to Harvard University in 2010.

The idea for a hīkoi came about during the covid lockdown when Dr Nahill and a few other doctors met to talk about “how to impact a national conversation about healthcare reform".

“We were already feeling the health system was not meeting the needs of many stakeholders, and we thought we needed a grassroots effort that would allow healthcare professionals, patients, and whānau to stand together to press for change.

“Successive governments have ignored the warning signs that it was struggling, and it now needs to be completely overhauled using data, stakeholder expertise, and international models.”

The hīkoi kicks off in Kaitaia on April 26 before heading to Kerikeri that afternoon.

Then it will head to Whangārei on April 27, before reaching the Cricket Pavillion in the Auckland Domain on April 28.

The hīkoi will arrive on Parliament grounds in Wellington on Thursday, May 8 at 1pm.

You can check out the hikoi website for more information and a proposed itinerary.

The Minister of  Health has been approached for comment.