If their strategists didn't immediately see the risks in this policy then what are they doing in the job.
After an autumn full of racially tinged politics where it is obvious that that National and Labour are more than willing to hoe into any policy favouring Maori and Pacific Islanders, this should have been placed in the "not now, not ever" pile.
And I say not ever because this is fundamentally bad policy.
It asks doctors to award care based on race and not need which is against the fundamental tenet of providing care to everyone with no fear of favour.
From the Hippocratic Oath through to the Geneva Convention doctors are taught to treat people humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
But not in New Zealand. If the doctors are moaning about it then you know it's not kosher.
It has whole layers of racism. In the waiting list acquired by Newstalk ZB the person at the end of the list had been waiting the longest. And he was a Middle Eastern migrant. So now we all know who's at the bottom of the race rankings.
But while some dimwit might have thought they were doing good they obviously don't understand healthcare and inequity.
The inequity does not occur in the hospital but in the home. The negative outcomes for certain races stem from poverty, bad housing, fear of doctors and the state, bad diet, bad exercise, and smoking and drinking.
Surgery is the end of the healthcare process. It literally is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff and not the fence at the top. By the stage you're needing to be operated on your condition has gone beyond your income or the colour of your skin.
Any competent politician should have seen how mad the policy is and the fact that it was sliding towards nationwide policy throws doubt on the competency of this government which has already been called into question countless times.
I'm just so amazed that they have blundered into this giant bear trap.
Andrew Dickens is a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB.
It asks doctors to award care based on race and not need which is against the fundamental tenet of providing care to everyone with no fear of favour.
From the Hippocratic Oath through to the Geneva Convention doctors are taught to treat people humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
But not in New Zealand. If the doctors are moaning about it then you know it's not kosher.
It has whole layers of racism. In the waiting list acquired by Newstalk ZB the person at the end of the list had been waiting the longest. And he was a Middle Eastern migrant. So now we all know who's at the bottom of the race rankings.
But while some dimwit might have thought they were doing good they obviously don't understand healthcare and inequity.
The inequity does not occur in the hospital but in the home. The negative outcomes for certain races stem from poverty, bad housing, fear of doctors and the state, bad diet, bad exercise, and smoking and drinking.
Surgery is the end of the healthcare process. It literally is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff and not the fence at the top. By the stage you're needing to be operated on your condition has gone beyond your income or the colour of your skin.
Any competent politician should have seen how mad the policy is and the fact that it was sliding towards nationwide policy throws doubt on the competency of this government which has already been called into question countless times.
I'm just so amazed that they have blundered into this giant bear trap.
Andrew Dickens is a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB.
6 comments:
This seems to be just the start. Will we soon have to submit dna tests in order to get cancer treatment for example? Will we all get access to gp's? And what about the children? Will a little kid who is not maori be forced to wait even not get treatment? Also if you have medical insurance how will this work if you are of the wrong race? How is this even legal?
Well said, Andrew. You have described the situation concisely and exactly in your words quoted below:-
"The inequity does not occur in the hospital but in the home. The negative outcomes for certain races stem from poverty, bad housing, fear of doctors and the state, bad diet, bad exercise, and smoking and drinking."
And - how are the hospital staff going to define who is "Maori" and who is not,
I was born in Adelaide, Australia. but I could claim that one of my forebears was a wandering Maori who went to Sth Australia and planted the genetic seed in my family way back. Therefore I qualify as a "Maori"
Similarly here, people who are 1/168 Maori blood can claim to be "Maori" and get fast tracked into hospital !!
Having trace Maori DNA is now officially regarded as a handicap and must be specifically catered for in the health system ??
At the expense of those with genuine handicaps ?
At the expense of those non-Maori who have been reasonable and responsible with their own health needs ?
Is it intended that this special treatment of Maori DNA go on into eternity ?
Human Rights Act 1993 clause 21 says that you cannot be discriminated against based on race. Each person that is bumped in favour of another, based on race, has a case to take. They are being illegally discriminated against.
Well said, Anon.
Here is the actual wording of the law:-
Prohibited grounds of discrimination
Heading: inserted, on 1 January 2002, by section 7 of the Human Rights Amendment Act 2001 (2001 No 96).
21Prohibited grounds of discrimination
(1)
For the purposes of this Act, the prohibited grounds of discrimination are—
colour:
(f)
race:
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