Letters: Is this value for health spending?; shallow politics in Christopher Luxon’s council spending rebuke

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has told local councils to avoid spending on "fantasy" projects. Photo / Alex Burton

Is this value for health money?

Professor Lester Levy, commissioner of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, is correct when saying “we now need to make sure we also get more value for money” (NZ Herald August 26).

For example, an elderly friend developed a huge lump at the top of their left thigh. Tender to touch, awkward walking and worried as to what it was, they visited their GP, who promptly directed with appropriate paperwork they go to hospital as an acute admission.

My friend was in the general surgery and trauma ward for nine days and scanned, supposedly revealing a subcutaneous irregularity. They were repeatedly told the lump would be opened, drained and closed, which never happened. In case of infection, they were intravenously administered antibiotics and potassium.

My friend was then discharged without a prescription, minus discharge papers, releasing them into GP care with the same sensitive, undrained, unchanged medical condition they went in with.

No explanation was given by doctors to the patient as to what the lump actually was, only vague confusing possibilities intermittently during their stay.

As directed, my friend returned to the medical centre and GP – but was told that the hospital could do nothing, nor could they. The exercise produced no health value.

Dr Michael K. Eagle, Muriwai Beach.

Shallow politics

Thank you Simon Wilson for a well-reasoned factual counterpoint (NZ Herald, August 27) to Christopher Luxon’s soundbite lambasting local government which, according to several other superficial media commentaries, was “good politics”.

Apart from a few potshot examples, we have no idea what the Government believes are “luxuries”. If it’s not pipes, roads and rubbish, it must be all those things local governments provide that add quality to our day-to-day living. Like parks, swimming pools, pleasant streetscapes and walkways, events, libraries, galleries, and, yes, God forbid, cycleways.

All these things and more that local government does its best to fund mainly from the very limited financial toolbox of rates, which as Wilson points out, the Government doesn’t even pay on its own properties.

Given the cost burdens that local governments have had to manage in recent years through natural disasters and huge building and construction price increases, all while central government continues to present a deaf ear to their pleas for other financial tools, the reaction of mayors and councillors to Luxon’s shallow “good politics” was hardly surprising.

David Sanders, Torbay.

Fuming at coalition

The coalition Government’s claim it supports smokefree plans really ring hollow because they’re promoting nicotine addiction instead.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello suddenly admitting she does have a tobacco industry document promoting tax cuts for big tobacco is shocking.

Just how entrenched are powerful lobby groups within the Government? How much are they actually dictating policy?

Cigarettes are simply a device to deliver nicotine addiction. Now that toxic tobacco smoke is a liability, the industry is cynically pushing vaping, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products. All products the Government encourages with tobacco industry tax cuts. Claims that nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine are outright lies. It is a powerful addictive drug.

These insidious new products may avoid toxic smoke, but they are loaded with nicotine, encouraging addiction. This craving is what then drives sales. They are hugely profitable.

The previous Labour Government’s bold legislation to substantially cut nicotine content would have completely changed the equation, with great health benefits.

It’s shameful what has happened instead. No wonder big tobacco is overjoyed with Costello and the Government. They are creating a whole new generation of nicotine addicts for the tobacco industry to profit from.

Jeff Hayward, Auckland Central.

Hero of humanity

I wish to say kia kaha to Antonio Guterres as he speaks out so strongly about the stupidity of our Government in resuming gas and oil exploration by stating “I am absolutely sure it will never be used, and they are signing away our future” (NZ Herald, August 27).

At the Pacific Islands Forum, he used language that we should take seriously, such as ”we are treating the sea like a sewer“ and “raging conflicts, an escalating climate crisis, inequalities and injustices everywhere”.

He is a true leader and a hero of humanity as he puts himself at odds and some personal risk in speaking out so frankly against fossil fuel interests and lethargic governments. I note he has not been speaking out about the need for UN Security Council reform (removal of the power of veto) recently as I agree with him that we cannot have peace with justice until we achieve this.

Anyway, thanks Adam Pearse for a good article and I hope you can help us get this important issue into the public discussion arena.

Dennis Worley, Birkenhead.

Power play

Thank you, Chloe Swarbrick for a very clear explanation of the electricity shortage, (NZ Herald, August 28).

The current Government’s claim that the shortage of electricity is all the fault of Labour’s gas ban is false. The shortage can be sheeted back to National’s ideology of enabling private profit and decisions made by National to create private profit.

Carrick Bernard, Mount Albert.