Alexander (Sandy) Milne

I refer Beacon readers to the following article in the NZ Listener of April 15.

Early warning: The rise of private diagnostic health clinics in NZ, By Nicky Pellegrino.

That article is very timely, following that April 10 meeting in the Liberty Hall on our failing health services, addressed by Patient Voice advocate Malcolm Mulholland and his team of volunteer nurses.

Malcolm's talk was unusual in that he used his own presentation to briefly describe his late wife's battle with breast cancer, then outlined problems with his father and others accessing healthcare services elsewhere in Aotearoa.

Two young nurses (Jessica and Kereru) then took the microphone and explained why they were supporting the main speaker in the New Zealand-wide roadshow.  Mr Mulholland promptly opened the meeting to the audience.  

NZ Nursing Association's Sue Eising-Wolland, and Mayor Victor Luca, along with several other attendees then gave brief presentations all of which emphasised the seriousness of the health service downgrades all over New Zealand.

That very day, all our country's major news outlets ran this from our Prime Minister Christopher Luxon:

"Under the plan defence spending will lift to more than 2 percent of gross domestic product in the next eight years.

"This new Defence Capability Plan contains $12 billion of funding over the next four years, which includes $9 billion of new spending".

Taking breast cancer as an example, I strongly assert that individual New Zealand women, especially if Māori or Pasifika, have more to fear from our failing health services than from perceived enemies, and that 9 billion dollars would be better spent on clear and present health dangers.  After all, where are our threatening neighbours?

Who cares?  Certainly not those 37 percent (and rising) of New Zealanders who have private medical insurance. Every one of them knows that fellow Kiwis who cannot afford the premiums will always be at the back of the queue.  

Dr Luca has been telling residents that at public meetings and in the Beacon plus GreyPower newsletter for five years.  

I have been exposing that sad reality for 50 years longer.  I arrived in New Zealand 60 years ago to find that our health services were amongst the best in the world, but that private health insurance and lab companies were stealthily infiltrating our communities.  

The Beacon ran full page stories and letters on the fact that a medical insurance rep had called me at the hospital lab and asked me "as a friend", if I had any dirty washing on our public hospital which could help him sell insurance policies.  I curtly told him where to go as the only thing dirty was his tactics.

Private healthcare, especially in diagnosis and management of infectious diseases, is an abomination.

Every Kiwi should give our poorer neighbours a fair go.  It is a pity that there are no obvious political leaders with mana who share the views of myself and most of my friends.  We are lucky to have strong local leadership in Dr Luca.