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Smalley: Diet, lifestyle choices contributing to health care failings

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Sep 2017, 9:49AM
Simplistic as this sounds, if we ate better and moved more, that would greatly lessen the demand on our health system.  (Photo \ NZ Herald)
Simplistic as this sounds, if we ate better and moved more, that would greatly lessen the demand on our health system. (Photo \ NZ Herald)

Smalley: Diet, lifestyle choices contributing to health care failings

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Sep 2017, 9:49AM

I was expecting a little more from the debate last night. 

It was robust but the two leaders covered the same ground. 

Bill English pointed the finger at Labour's tax policy.

Jacinda Ardern said National had run a negative campaign and had misled the country.

And then part way through, the debate turned to health. 

And remember, health's been polling as the single most important issue to New Zealanders in this election. 

Yes, Labour's right to point out that health is under-funded, but Labour needs to shoulder some of the blame for the current state of the system too.

And I've talked about this before, our failure to measure the number of kiwis who need medical care, but can't get it. And that's because the maximum time you can spend on a wait list is four months or a DHB faces financial penalties, so if a provider can't guarantee you'll be seen in that time, your GP either won't waste their time referring you, or they will refer you and then you'll receive a letter that says "sorry, we can't help you at this time."

Madness. 

The Minister for Health, Jonathan Coleman said the unmet need is measured in this country. That, people, is fake news. It's utter rubbish. It's not. You, the kiwis who can't get help, you are told to just suffer on in silence. 

But the approach we take to health needs an overhaul on so many levels. National said they're throwing a truck load of money at it. Labour said it will do the same. They'll inject more, they say. And the system does need more funding. A lot more. 

But we also need to look at how we're living these days. Our lifestyle choices. What we're eating. Why we're not moving anywhere near as much as we use to. The extra weight we're carrying, which among other things, triggers the huge demand for hip and knee reconstructions. The impact that has on mental health. And so it goes on. 

Yes, there are great failings in our health system right now and it needs a lot more money. But we also need to address what I would call preventable disease and illness. What are you doing to look after your health? 

Simplistic as this sounds, if we ate better and moved more, that would greatly lessen the demand on our health system. 

Food for thought, as it were. 

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