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Labour Party on Health Care
“I am going to keep a focus well and truly on primary care and affordability. Just keeping barriers to access as low as possible is absolutely critical. As you know I've always had a big interest in public health,” Helen Clark told Herald at the start of the 2008 campaign, but the paper has noted that, “In some areas [Labour] has allowed privatisation of laboratory services and charging of private specialists' patients for lab tests”.
Labour believes in a strong and effective public health system and does not believe there is any advantage to PPPs in the health sector. A party spokesperson says, “We believe that the government has a responsibility to ensure that these institutions are adequately resourced and have the facilities that they need to deliver good services”.
“Labour does not support tax rebates for people who take private health insurance,” a party spokesperson says. “We believe in a strong and effective public health system and have been committed to building a health system that people can trust, and that will be there for them regardless of their ability to pay”. Leader Helen Clark has said, “every dollar that you spend subsidising private health insurance is a dollar you are not putting into the public health system”.
Labour “believes that good oral health is fundamental to the overall health of New Zealanders,” a spokesperson says. “We will continue with our multi-million dollar investment programme to ensure oral health facilities are up to scratch. Protecting the oral health of our children is a top priority”. But it does not go so far as to advocate including dentalcare in the public health system.
Labour has no policy to extend the free doctors’ visits for children under six to all children of primary school age. But a spokesperson says, “Labour has reduced the cost of prescriptions and visiting a doctor. In 2007 we introduced free health care for children under 6 years old”.
Labour backs Pharmac’s decision to fund nine weeks of Herceptin treatment, arguing that drug purchasing decisions are best made by Pharmac, an independent agency. Helen Clark told the DominionPost in October 2008, “As a Government we are not prepared to put ourselves in the position of over-ruling Pharmac because if we do that we will allocate money for expensive drugs according to which lobby group is the loudest rather than according to any objective criteria and that wouldn't be right”.
Labour has no specific policy requiring schools to remove unhealthy foods. But the party has introduced programmes to promote healthy, active lifestyles, including Fruit in Schools and Mission On. A party spokesperson says they “encourage children to think and act in ways that keep them fit and healthy”. "No one strategy will reverse the rising epidemic of obesity and inactivity amongst us, and no one agency will have all the answers,” said Pete Hodgson. “The answers will come from individuals, families, communities, schools, businesses and local and central agencies working together. The solutions will go beyond party politics”.
Labour opposes the privatisation of ACC. We are committed to the long-term viability of a comprehensive, no fault system. Leader Helen Clark attacked National’s plan to introduce some competition, saying, “It works on the basis of being a large social insurance scheme... With private insurers, over time our people will pay more and get much less."