health

Categories under health

Drug-peddlers

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, May 15th, 2011 - 50 comments

Lobbyist Mark Unsworth of Saunders Unsworth is campaigning against Pharmac, ahead of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations with the US. They want more money spent on patented drugs.

Lloyd Morrison and Gareth Morgan have come to the defence of Pharmac.

Canterbury tales

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, May 11th, 2011 - 16 comments

In much of earthquake ravaged Christchurch life is still far from normal.  The PM’s Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman has stressed the psychological challenges facing the people of the city.  If you live in earthquake damaged Canterbury or Christchurch, please share your stories here…

NZMA position on health inequity

Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, May 3rd, 2011 - 18 comments

NZ’s doctor’s organisation is prescribing a healthier society: putting kids first, reduced income inequality (higher minimum income), investment in skills and education, and equity, not equality in our social services – helping most those with the greatest need. Take note Don, John.

Nats attacks legal aid but pays a million to defend itself

Written By: - Date published: 2:37 pm, April 30th, 2011 - 11 comments

Legal aid and your rights if accused of a crime are under attack by the National Government yet at the same time, as Michael Bott, explains it has spent a fortune in court trying to defend its practice of discriminating against carers who are related to the disabled people they care for. More disgusting choices from National.

Economists line up on “Robin Hood” tax

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 pm, April 15th, 2011 - 31 comments

1000 economists have written to the G20, about to meet in Washington, and to Bill Gates, asking for a tax on financial transactions known as a Tobin tax after its originator, or a Robin Hood tax as it is known in the US. 4 New Zealanders are among the 1000; Prue Hyman, Stefan Kesting, Peter Conway, and Petrus Simons. Good on them.

Fukushima radiation skyrockets

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 pm, March 27th, 2011 - 46 comments

Normally, we get 3.65 millisieverts of radiation a year. Increased cancer risk is associated with 100 millisieverts per year. Nuclear workers are only meant to get 100 millisieverts even in an emergency with protective clothing. Today, water in No 2 reactor was detected emitting 1 sievert per hour – and they’re not sure of the source.

Cuts! Cuts! Cuts!

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, March 21st, 2011 - 42 comments

There was already going to be too little money in Budget 2011 for maintenance of public services. Now what little there was is being further slashed in the name of Christchurch. An Earthquake Levy is not an option, rather we’ll all pay through increased borrowing and 25% cuts in services like police, transport, justice and social services.

Get well soon, Trev

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, March 21st, 2011 - 28 comments

Trevor Mallard

As you know, Trevor Mallard is a keen cyclist. He touched wheels with another competitor in the R&R sports tour on Saturday. 3 cyclists went down at 40km/hr. Trev broke his femur and shoulder blade. It looks like he’s dealing with it OK. Maybe he should stick to leisurely rides on the John Key Memorial Cycleway in future.

National’s Impending Swingeing Cuts

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, January 26th, 2011 - 31 comments

Whilst John Key’s raising of privatisation is the first focus of his State of the Nation speech, perhaps equally as important is his intention for swingeing cuts to public services. Health and Education will have to pay higher wages from the same budget, but the likes of Police, Justice, Conservation and Social Services can expect cuts of more than 10%.

Ministerial review: poverty

Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, January 6th, 2011 - 26 comments

When was the last time that John Key mentioned the ‘underclass’? In his Statement to Parliament at the start of last year – after Eddie called him out on never talking about the underclass – but he didn’t actually read that part of the statement. So, what has Key actually done for the underclass that he purported to care for so much? Nothing. He’s let poverty worsen.

National Attacks Vulnerable Children

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, December 14th, 2010 - 22 comments

National are consistently attacking the vulnerable in society – those who cannot fight back and complain. This is where a lot of their cuts are aimed at – those who need it most. Be it in health, education or welfare.

And in several recent health and education National cuts have hurt the most vulnerable – our children.  Not just the massive ECE cuts of Tolley, but cuts hurting those at the bottom even more.

Guest post: Beware Food Police!

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, December 10th, 2010 - 51 comments

To arms! To arms! The Food Police are coming! Remember how I led you in the battle to get junk food back into schools? It was a near-run thing. If we hadn’t acted, the days of the 12 year-old who can’t climb a flight of stairs without wheezing and going red in the face might have been numbered. Now, National has hypocritically betrayed us.

Tales from front-lines of the class war

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, December 6th, 2010 - 17 comments

This collection of articles from recent days illustrate the class war going on within this country. In a time of economic, environmental, and social crisis, either the established elite can be reined in or it will use its power to cement its position and take a greater share of the wealth. Because we’re letting them, the elite are winning the class war.

Something rotten in the state of health

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 5th, 2010 - 14 comments

Losing one District Health Board Chief Executive, Ken Whelan, who resigned because he refused to carry out any more of National’s cuts to health services looks bad. Losing three of the health systems’ top 22 managers in three months – Whelan, Director General of Health Stephen McKernan, and Auckland DHB CEO Pat Snedden – looks like a purge.

National’s Privatisation Agenda Continues

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, November 4th, 2010 - 25 comments

National are continuing their privatisation by stealth.  Hospitals services and a new prison are the current targets.  Tony Ryall, Judith Collins and Bill English are the ministers currently pushing their ideology in their respective areas.

A smoke-free NZ by 2025

Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, November 3rd, 2010 - 130 comments

The Maori Affairs select committee has released its report on smoking. It’s great to see politicians setting a really ambitious goal coupled with policies to achieve it. Labour and the Greens are on board, what about National? Well our Do Nothing PM, John ‘ambitious for New Zealand’ Key says it’s too hard. Guess we need a government with some balls.

NoRightTurn: Nats let IHC burn

Written By: - Date published: 6:14 am, October 15th, 2010 - 20 comments

The government is refusing to step up to save IHC providers that are insolvent due to a recent court case that resulted in IHC carers being awarded hundreds of millions in back wages. The government is washing its hands, even though it is the primary funder of the services. Will the Nats let IHC collapse or will they use this to bring in their corporate mates?

Paul Henry’s jokes about women, deaf people and infant deaths, proudly brought to you by TVNZ

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, October 9th, 2010 - 59 comments

Here’s a compilation from TV7’s Russell Brown from April this year, highlighting the value for money taxpayers get from paying Breakfast Bigot Paul Henry $300,000+ per year: ridiculing the appearance of guests whose opinions he disagrees with, ridiculing deaf people, women, and the disproportionate rate of infant deaths in developing countries – “but they’ve got […]

Asbestos City

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, September 26th, 2010 - 20 comments

In the aftermath of the twin towers, the dust that accompanied their collapse gave rise to a health crisis in the medium/long term that continues to play out to this day.  And given the prevalence of asbestos in Christchurch buildings, it just might be that the earthquake will result in a number of preventable deaths after all…

Government To Screw Health Next

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, September 15th, 2010 - 17 comments

Not content with destroying education to get at teachers, now National are after your health to get at doctors and nurses.

Nats’ new health head: ‘Fewer doctors OK’

Written By: - Date published: 6:55 am, September 15th, 2010 - 12 comments

The state sector is in turmoil. Secondary teachers and medical technicians are striking for fair pay and against claw-backs in their work conditions. Junior doctors look set to join them. What’s the Nats’ reaction? They’ve appointed the Scottish ‘smiling assassin’, Dr Kevin Woods, who  fired 1,500 nurses from the Scottish NHS and will apply the same formula here.

Lousy propaganda from the Herald

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, August 31st, 2010 - 9 comments

The Herald’s top story today screams “Strikers’ Helpless Victims”.

But it turns out that staff have been suspended.

I guess that doesn’t fit the Herald’s class war perspective.

A few questions

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, August 28th, 2010 - 40 comments

1) Did the PM declare his conflict of interest when the alcohol reforms were debated at Cabinet?
2) Aren’t these exactly the reforms you would expect from a guy who owns a high end winery? No extra excise. No controls on advertising. Demonise the kids.
3) Has National or any of its MPs recieved donations from alcohol sellers? Like Tony Astle, for example?

Govt opts for show over substance on alcohol

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, August 24th, 2010 - 49 comments

The government’s alcohol reforms are so typical of this government: criminalise someone to be seen to be doing something, while ignoring the root causes of the problem. This is a government that would rather make a criminal of a good parent who lets their son’s mate have a beer at a BBQ than make it harder for booze barons to hook kids into drinking.

Got your doctor’s note?

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, August 24th, 2010 - 21 comments

It was only at the protest on the weekend that I learned about the Nats’ plan to make us get sick notes if we take a day off work for ourselves or to look after a sick family member. This would be an insult to workers and a huge waste of medical resources from a government that has no understanding of efficient use of scarce resources and thinks that workers are all scumbags who need a good kicking.

When the science doesn’t suit, Right tries to shout it down

Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, August 22nd, 2010 - 87 comments

The other day, National Party pollster David Farrar had a rant against alcohol experts that boiled down to ‘who cares what the science says! We’re in charge now and booze barons are on our side. Go back to your books, dorks!’.

Big Dog responds:

Slippery old Ryall

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 pm, August 12th, 2010 - 26 comments

Tony Ryall’s been running significant health-cuts under the radar for a while now.

But with the heat going on down south he’s breaking out the “spot check” story to show he’s in touch.

He’s a slippery old bugger…

The cost of National’s health care cuts

Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, August 6th, 2010 - 15 comments

What’s going on in our health care system when the well respected head of a DHB resigns, saying he cannot cut costs any further without undermining patient care. The Dom Post is reporting: Ken Whelan (chief executive of Capital & Coast District Health Board) announced his resignation yesterday as chief executive of Capital & Coast […]

Kiwis back smoking ban

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, August 4th, 2010 - 62 comments

A survey by ASH backs up one by UMR back in May showing that 60% of Kiwis back an end to commercial tobacco sales by 2020. I’m surprised by how strong the public mood for a ban is and not quite sure whether I agree.

A new state housing agenda

Written By: - Date published: 2:31 pm, July 21st, 2010 - 35 comments

The country is short about 10,000 houses and many of the houses we do have (mostly privately owned rentals) are unhealthy. The housing shortage was a driver of the last housing boom and is still keeping house prices excessively high, while poor quality housing means higher health costs, more sick days, and kids that are sick so often it disrupts their education. It would be sensible on every level to build the extra houses we need, and the government should take the lead role.

I was just following the market’s orders

Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, July 14th, 2010 - 31 comments

Should be no surprise to anyone that the Nats and Maori Party are cutting help for tobacco addicts while upping the cost of their ciggies. They don’t care about better health. Don’t care about helping poor people get off an expensive habit. It’s all about sopping the poor and give aways for the rich. But you know who did grind my gears? Those tabacco execs the other week.