Govt’s needs-based directive ‘an affront’ to science, say public health physicians

Hands holding a bowel screening testing kit

26 Sep 2024

The Press

Public health physicians have labelled a recent Government directive that public services be prioritised on need rather than ethnicity as “an affront to scientific and public health knowledge”.

This comes after the Government issued instructions to its departments and agencies that “public services should be prioritised on the basis of need, not race”. The Government said it wanted to ensure “services are not arbitrarily allocated on the basis of ethnicity”.

It was concerned that in the absence of clear expectations “agencies may use ethnic identity or other forms of personal identity as a proxy for need, and therefore a justification in itself for targeted services”, it said.

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Key issues

HEALTH SERVICES AND SYSTEMS

Covering developments in the provision, funding and organisation of health care services.

EQUITY

Exploring the impacts of the health system on minorities within the population, notably including Māori, Pacifica, Asians and LGBTQI.

DRUGS, DEVICE AND DIAGNOSTICS

Covering prescription medicines and medical devices.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Focusing on efforts to promote health and prevent disease through social and economic interventions.

DIGITAL HEALTH

Exploring the potential digital transformation to provide a more connected and accessible health system.

TE TIRITI

Monitoring how the health reforms and the performance of the health sector uphold Te Tiriti obligations.