This is of course a ‘borrowed’ idea. But probably a good one going by Scottish experience where a survey showed, “Positive perceptions and experiences of those using MAS [Minor Ailment Service]”. These services are available across UK countries but differ from New Zealand in one major respect.
They are not restricted by ethnicity.
According to Te Whatu Ora, In New Zealand “Māori and Pacific, children under the age of 14 and their whānau, and Community Service Card (CSC) holders will be able to get free consultation and receive funded treatment for certain minor ailments this winter.”
The majority of the population is excluded.
Was that clearly signalled?
Discussion about the service cropped up on a Wellington talk show earlier this week. The host described his experience taking a family member with a large stye into his local pharmacy. Apparently, the pharmacist told the family member to book a GP consultation and the patient had to take the remainder of the week off work awaiting doctor treatment.
Perhaps the family member was the wrong colour but the pharmacist didn’t want to point this out?
The government seems to have built an expectation that the service is for everyone. At least that’s the perception that emerges when you are reticent about revealing it is actually restricted to Maori, Pacific, the poor and children.
On Tuesday NewstalkZB Wellington led their news bulletins with versions of the following: “76 pharmacies across the district are signed up to a scheme allowing them to treat minor conditions and ease pressure on GPs and hospital services over the winter months.”
Media coverage in Stuff makes no mention of restrictions to the service.
As a consumer of mainstream media, the fact that the service is actually severely limited later came as a complete surprise.
This Labour government, riddled with communications specialists and purportedly the most “transparent and honest” ever, unfortunately has a memory like a sieve.
In the early 2000s Helen Clark was forced to run a massive damage-control strategy when her ‘Closing the Gaps’ policy eventually sunk into the collective consciousness. The public was justifiably angry and unaccepting that services were restricted by ethnicity. She had to change the focus and rebrand the spending initiatives ‘Reducing Inequalities.’ She understood that Labour voters would accept targeting help to the poorest and neediest. And while many Maori and Pacific people fall into this group, a good many do not.
But in 2023 they are making the same mistake all over again.
Let’s not beat about the bush. All non-Maori and non-Pacific people who don’t have a Community Services card and are older than 13 are excluded from the pharmacy service. Pity the poor pharmacist who has to break the news to the sick patient presenting but ineligible.
This is a dying administration desperately grasping at straws, neither thinking policies through nor even reflecting on past experience. For these reasons alone, they need to go.
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE.
The majority of the population is excluded.
Was that clearly signalled?
Discussion about the service cropped up on a Wellington talk show earlier this week. The host described his experience taking a family member with a large stye into his local pharmacy. Apparently, the pharmacist told the family member to book a GP consultation and the patient had to take the remainder of the week off work awaiting doctor treatment.
Perhaps the family member was the wrong colour but the pharmacist didn’t want to point this out?
The government seems to have built an expectation that the service is for everyone. At least that’s the perception that emerges when you are reticent about revealing it is actually restricted to Maori, Pacific, the poor and children.
On Tuesday NewstalkZB Wellington led their news bulletins with versions of the following: “76 pharmacies across the district are signed up to a scheme allowing them to treat minor conditions and ease pressure on GPs and hospital services over the winter months.”
Media coverage in Stuff makes no mention of restrictions to the service.
As a consumer of mainstream media, the fact that the service is actually severely limited later came as a complete surprise.
This Labour government, riddled with communications specialists and purportedly the most “transparent and honest” ever, unfortunately has a memory like a sieve.
In the early 2000s Helen Clark was forced to run a massive damage-control strategy when her ‘Closing the Gaps’ policy eventually sunk into the collective consciousness. The public was justifiably angry and unaccepting that services were restricted by ethnicity. She had to change the focus and rebrand the spending initiatives ‘Reducing Inequalities.’ She understood that Labour voters would accept targeting help to the poorest and neediest. And while many Maori and Pacific people fall into this group, a good many do not.
But in 2023 they are making the same mistake all over again.
Let’s not beat about the bush. All non-Maori and non-Pacific people who don’t have a Community Services card and are older than 13 are excluded from the pharmacy service. Pity the poor pharmacist who has to break the news to the sick patient presenting but ineligible.
This is a dying administration desperately grasping at straws, neither thinking policies through nor even reflecting on past experience. For these reasons alone, they need to go.
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE.
7 comments:
Why don't Doctors/Pharmacists stop being 'Enablers' to the 'Powers that aught not be' insane policies. In other words, just say NO and stop complying with Apartheid policies.
Just more of the same CRT marxist ideology. Oh sorry there is a descriptor word for it.
Apartheid.
The policy statements leave one major issue unaddressed - how does the pharmacist know the person seeking treatment is a Maori? Its not possible to tell just by appearance.
Answer: the 'Service Specification - Community Pharmacy Minor Ailments Service' says "2.2 The Provider is not required to verify (ie; require evidence) an Eligible Service User's ethnicity or CSC status."
An Eligble Service User includes a person who "identifies as Maori or Pacifika ethnicity". So we are dealing with a situation where self-identity alone enables access to these services. On that basis ANY individual could walk into a pharmacy and demand/expect treatment by simply claiming to be Maori.
Equally open to abuse is the statement that the provider (chemist) is not required to verify the person presenting is actually a Community Services Card holder.
Pharmacies are told that "teams should consider how patient ethnicity or CSC status can be determined in a sensitive manner to avoid difficut conversations ..."
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-the-health-sector/community-pharmacy/community-pharmacy-minor-ailment-service/
The country is being driven towards a cliff.
Stuff would certainly not bring this racist information to its diminishing brain dead patrons that still read mainstream media. They are doing their best to prop up the most destructive govt New Zealand has ever suffered.
With a shortage of doctors even in high decile areas it is sometimes difficult to access moderately urgent medical care.
My grandson has had severe sore throats and I was was concerned about strep. throat, since there is a family history of rheumatic fever. According to TVNZ, I thought you could take a child to the pharmacy to get a throat test. But, no ,that is only for a certain ethnic group.The family doesn't have a GP because he was cut out of practising during covid restrictions. I am only the mother -in- law so my opinion is not taken seriously and the family think it would be too stressful to go to A and E and wait for hours.
Health line said to use home nursing care, anyway !
Rheumatic fever is not restricted to low SES people and it is of concern because we have an unacceptably high rate, I thought there was a determination to reduce this.
Time to self-identify I think, and do it in big numbers. I am sad I didn’t hear about this before the census. Some very interesting results coukd have been driven.
I heard about this recently, but couldn't find it on the net, so thank you Lindsay and Tony B. To reiterate and as it's officially expressed:
Who is eligible to receive the service?
A person is eligible to receive the service if they have a condition covered by MAS (set out under
question 6 below), they are eligible for publicly funded health services in NZ, and they are one of
the following:
• a child under 14 years of age;
• a whānau member (any age) of a child under 14 years of age, with the same symptoms;
• a holder of a Community Service Card (CSC), or the dependent child of a CSC holder and
is 14 to 17 years of age; or
• a Māori and Pacific person.
As you've said Tony, it comes down to self identity - not unlike the burgeoning gender identity debate. This is divisive, racist nonsense that should have no place in an open, egalitarian democracy like New Zealand. And just btw, before it gets raised in justification, the ToW has nothing to do with Pacific people, anymore than the next NZ citizen.
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