Gym deal breaches pledge on race, says MP

A health promotion offering Maori men cheap gym memberships, lifestyle coaching and weight loss programmes breaches the Government's promise to scrap race-based funding, the National Party says.

The party's health spokesman, Tony Ryall, revealed details of the Western Bay of Plenty primary health organisation promotion offering free heart-disease screening for Maori men aged 35 to 45.

"Free lifestyle coaching, support and subsidised gym membership and weight-loss programmes are available to help those at risk of heart disease," a flyer advertising the promotion said.

Mr Ryall asked how it squared with the Government's 2004 public commitment to end race-based programmes.

Primary health organisations were among those singled out for change.

"District health boards and PHOs should be focusing on the needs of their patients, not the colour of their skin or their sex."

Mr Ryall said the Bay of Plenty's Indian community was deemed by local health professionals to be the most at-risk of any ethnic group, yet it had no specific programmes.

But Health Minister Pete Hodgson said Maori on average died about eight years younger than Pakeha.

Therefore the promotion - aimed at reducing heart disease, the biggest killer of Maori men - could be seen as needs-based.

"The PHO is doing precisely what PHOs were set up to do, which is to reach into the population and find the people who are most at risk and start to deal with them," he said.

"So long as there is a need to pay special attention to Maori health, or Pacific Island health or male health or female health, we will do so and do so proudly."

The subsidised gym membership should be seen as a "green prescription".

Associate Health Minister Mita Ririnui accused Mr Ryall of "a racial finger-pointing exercise".

"Tony Ryall chose to highlight Maori because of the colour of their skin, and that type of behaviour in this day and age has sinister overtures," he said.

It made "absolute sense" to target Maori in campaigns such as the one Mr Ryall was criticising.

- NZPA