Why invest more funds into “measures to prevent adverse events” to lessen obesity risk when money would be better spent updating New Zealand food guidelines?
Currently, New Zealand food guidelines are less stringent than other countries like Canada and the UK, particularly concerning carbohydrate consumption. We give children fries, buns, sugars, fizzy drinks, and treats in abundance. Damage may not show up tomorrow, but obesity begins here.
Yes, love, support and protect your children, but especially cut down on carbohydrates and refined food. Your child’s future health depends on it.
Judy Anderson, Remuera.
Private healthcare
The New Zealand healthcare scenario is grossly misunderstood by so many, and surprisingly by Dr Art Nahill in his extensive article (January 15).
Taxpayer-funded health services worldwide have never been able to satisfy every demand for every service. That is such an impossible “pipe dream”, most especially as the abilities to improve healthcare increases every day with more complicated expensive procedures becoming available.
Successive governments in this country, contrary to Nahill’s conspiracy theory, have never purposely allowed our public health service to fail. In truth, the pool of available taxpayer money increases by large amounts every year, but as is the case worldwide, is never enough, and is also not infinite.
As a result private health services, whether by direct payment or via heath insurance, have always provided extra care, mostly in the area of non-urgent elective surgery.
Without this subsidy of about 17% of overall funding in New Zealand, health services would most certainly collapse. It is just nonsense for Nahill to suggest that an unregulated private system is helping to undermine the public one.
In truth exactly the opposite applies. Our “not for profit” Southern Cross private healthcare organisation owned by its million members most certainly helps keep our overall heath system alive.
Dr Hylton Le Grice, Remuera.
Improving ACC
Ulterior motives and incompetence could explain our healthcare crisis. But doctors are indeed human and many will, after 13+ years of arduous study, take their skills to wherever (globally) the money is.
And not only is private sector pay better, it also doesn’t entail the stress of working in the public sector. The US health system is inequitable because of the uninsured; and expensive, mainly because of “defensive medicine” to avoid, and premiums to cover, costly personal injury claims.
Generally, our ACC patients get good timely treatment, often through the private sector, which offers a template for a state-owned insurance entity covering us from conception to death, funded by income-related premiums, with those for non-earners/the poor paid for/topped up by general taxation.
This entity, like ACC, would offer the patient the most efficient and effective provider, whether in the public or private sector. Don’t privatise the former, but impose business disciplines that optimise the wellbeing of patients and staff.
Complementing ACC’s injury prevention measures, the entity would be incentivised to fund health promotion, and one day it and ACC might merge.
Definitely not a reform to rush through in one political cycle. Cross-party co-operation and public consultation would expose ulterior motives and facilitate learning from international exemplars.
Richard Featherstone, Wellington.
Burning lessons
We see the poignant but terrible irony in Los Angeles of escalating numbers of homeless people, yet most now from the upper echelon of wealth and influence.
Fire has reduced everyone affected to a common denominator. If no other benefit of this disaster Americans might better empathise with those who have lived on the streets of arguably the wealthiest country on the planet.
But no one should expect much from the incoming president famous for his narcissism and lack of empathy. In fact he saw only political capital and creepy points-scoring that could be extracted from the whole disaster still unfolding.
Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Quality telly
I’m not against a good game show on the telly. The only problem is that The Chase is on three times a day, as is Tipping Point. Even more annoying is there are so many versions on the same theme.
Add in MasterChef of any food group, Somebody’s Got Talent for something and finally Housewives from somewhere. Game shows might stimulate the brain; the Kardashians and that genre on the other hand make us all look stupid.
If that’s considered quality telly then I am very out of touch.
John Ford, Taradale.
