National misleads - again

Is there any reliable information in National's Health 'policy'?.

---------------------------------

Tony Ryall and the National Party should clarify if there is anything in their Health 'policy' which the public could rely on, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said today.

"Three weeks ago they seemed to champion market forces deciding how much you might pay to see your family doctor or how a new hospital might be paid for, yet today in the House one of their Health spokespeople had a problem with publicly funded Breast Screening facilities being housed in a rental property." Pete Hodgson said.

"The Labour-led government has no ideological opposition to private sector involvement in health. What we do oppose is a private takeover of the core of the public health system. For example, under no circumstances would we allow the private sector to build major public hospitals and then require DHBs to rent them back off their private owners.

"There is a big difference between private ownership of hospitals and a small breast screening service renting space in a commercial building. The National Party knows it.

"I've attached what I said on 1 October 2007 which the National Party seems to want to mislead people on. I know it stands up to scrutiny which is more than what can be said for anything coming out of the National Party health camp." Pete Hodgson said.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Attached: Media Statement 1 October


Download the associated document filehere.