Article – Neil Miller
The headlines read Health Minister ‘extraordinarily frustrated’ as just five new acute mental health beds added after $1.9b investment.
The following is an op-ed (484 words) by New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union
Analyst Neil Miller. It is free for publication.
The headlines read “Health Minister ‘extraordinarily frustrated’ as just five new acute mental health beds added after $1.9b investment”.
Sorry Andrew Little, that is simply not good enough.
You are not an impartial observer, a mid-level official, a health journalist, or a political commentator. You are the Minister of Health, you are the boss, and you should have been all over this issue months ago.
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
Newly elected MP Nick Smith celebrates with family and friends on election night 1990. First elected in October 1990 as the MP for the former Tasman electorate, Smith was part of a group of four dubbed the “brat pack” that included fellow caucus newbies Tony Ryall, Roger Sowry and Bill English. The quartet became firm friends and still holiday together. The senior politicians of the day were former prime ministers David Lange (Labour) and Rob Muldoon (National). Smith recalled the sharp-tongued Sir Robert saying: “So you’re a doctor. Are you one of the ones that makes you well or one of the ones that make you sick?”
Retiring veteran National MP Dr Nick Smith has apologised for voting against gay marriage in 2013, saying the error was all the more personal with his 20
Sunday, 2 May 2021, 4:56 pm
The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (known as Pharmac)
is a crown entity that decides, on behalf of New Zealand’s
district health boards (DHBs), which medicines and
pharmaceutical products are subsidised for use in the
community and public hospitals (I use the words
‘medicines’ and ‘drugs’ interchangeably below). DHBs
are currently responsible for the provision of community and
hospital healthcare for defined geographic populations (the
Government intends to abolish them on 1 July
2022).
Origins of Pharmac
Pharmac was
established in 1993 by the Jim Bolger led National
government as the one sensible and sustainable structure
when New Zealand embarked on an ideologically driven seven