Labour Party health spokesperson, Ayesha Verrall says there are countless safety risks across the health system

A doctor's told RNZ a patient who died at Rotorua Hospital's ED last month had been waiting three hours for care.

It's understood she suffered a heart-attack - and the doctor says she should have been seen within an hour.

Verrall says she feels for the ED team -- particularly knowing they'd raised concerns about under-staffing.

She says meanwhile - 1.4-billion-dollars is being cut out of the health system - with no assurance clinical safety is being considered.