A school bag slung over one shoulder may help students perfect a cool look, but the effect on the spine… read More

I very much doubt that a school backpack carried for asymmetrically for a few minutes a day could do any real back injury. I may cause some muscle fatigue which is often the cause of a “bad back” rather than any spinal damage and even then there are many causes of sore backs, lack of regular exercise being the most common.

It looks like competition for patients amongst Australian health professionals is hotting up.

Here is the consequence of NZ snoring through the last 17 years:

Latest new Australian senior doctor settlement. 19 October 2007 11:34am | Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. “New Zealand health bosses must wake up to threat of latest massive australian senior doctor settlement” More >>

As a nation we are finding it harder to keep our senior professionals especially highly trained specialist doctors. This “we train them and the world reaps the benefits” attitude cannot go on.

What can we do – keep contracting out our health services to Aussie like we do for Positron Emmission Tomography and severe anorexic care, and pay for them to employ our doctors and build their infrastructure?

The current C&R Health Board members are:

Ian Ward            Mobile: 021 500 665 Email: ianrward@xtra.co.nz
Brian Fergus      Mobile: 021 111 4684 Email: bfergus@computercleaning.co.nz

Congratualations to Ian and Brian. With their skills and experience I am sure they will make a difference!

Now who said I wasn’t fair and balanced. Here if the Minister of Health’s reply to the last post. Now theoretically I can see the point that DHBNZ as an umbrella organisation could reduce bureaucracy, but it hasn’t really kicked in yet. I stand by my statement that it does not seem very democratic to have undemocratic organisation standing between two democratic ones. Another fact remains that the ADHB is very concerned about the effect of the nurse wage settlement and this concern is falling on deaf ears.

Press Release: Citizens and Ratepayers Auckland District Health Board Team (www.aucklandhealth.org.nz)Voters have been reminded that, in this financial year, the Auckland District Health Board has treated more patients than in the previous year while coming in well ahead of budget.

The question of interpreters for patients came up at the ADHB meeting yesterday. There is government funding for interpreters in hospitals and now it looks like the system will be extended to all GP practices as well. Wayne Brown, the outgoing chairman of the ADHB made a very important comment that the costs of this could blow out very easily. He suggested that it should be limited to telly or video calls using free software and the contracts should be let offshore if cost effective contracts cannot be negotiated here.

I would have to say I agree 100% with this. An alternaitve would be to try to argue to central government that this would be best handled through charities who support patients.

There was a very good presentation from staff at the school of population health on immigrant health issues. There are over 200 ethnicities now represented in the ADHB region. If we insisted on employing an interpreter for each language I can see a situation developing rapidly where, if no one could fill the vacancy for a small ethnic group we would have to recruit someone from overseas and get them to immigate here!

I would be interested in others thoughts and I will follow this situation closely if elected (and probably if I’m not!)

DHBNZ has voted to oppose Auckland getting  Positron Emission tomograpy (PET) for cancer patients. PET is used widely overseas including in Australia and is even used in the US for family pets.

ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy today questioned what value there was in being a member of District Health Boards New Zealand, given that this membership is costing DHBs around the country tens of thousands of dollars each year.

“These figures – the first released by DHB NZ since it became subject to the Official Information Act – show that being signed up to DHBNZ cost the country’s DHBs a total of $723,040 in the

2006/07 financial year alone,” Mrs Roy said.

“Broken down, this was tens of thousands of dollars paid by each individual DHB for that year – with Canterbury, Waitemata and Counties-Manukau DHBs each paying an astounding $89,280, $86,560 and $80,320 respectively.

“Given that $723,040 could fund a large number of surgical procedures

- approximately 25 Coronary Bypasses, 47 Hip Replacements operations, or 241 cataract operations – this information raises serious questions about the sort of value there is to be gained in our DHBs being signed up to this national body.

“The question of value is even more pertinent in light of the fact that Auckland withdrew from the national body more than two years ago, and Canterbury DHB voted to follow suit in July

13 of this year – with Chair Syd Bradley having been reported in the media as believing that CDHB was not getting value for money and criticising DHBNZ as a ‘flawed and unaccountable’ entity.

“These comments, combined with the amount of Health dollars being poured into DHBNZ membership – enough money to provide grommets for a massive 628 children – are extremely worrying.

“Precious Health dollars should be spent on alleviating the pain and suffering of those waiting far too long on hospital waiting lists not on the extra layer of pointless and ineffectual bureaucracy that DHBNZ represents,” Mrs Roy said.

ENDS

PLEASE PHONE 09-379 2023 URGENTLY TO ARRANGE A NEW VOTING PAPER 

Dig out those voting packsAucklanders are reminded they have a week left to return their votes in this year’s local body elections. Voter turnout is well down on the last elections three years ago. Many of the councils in the Auckland region have so far received 25 per cent fewer votes when compared with the same period in 2004.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO HELP

Every Vote Counts

REMEMBER TO POST YOUR PAPERS BACK BY FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER

If you have not received a voting document, it is not too late to place a special vote. Were not enrolled as a resident or ratepayer in Auckland city but qualify as electors? Did not receive a voting document in the post? Accidentally LOST or DAMAGED it?

PLEASE PHONE 09-379 2023 URGENTLY TO ARRANGE A NEW VOTING PAPER

I believe that eating disorders are a major health issue impacting the lives of many sufferers and their families. Traditionally the leading eating disorders have been anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Although the so called obesity epidemic could be put in this category it is treated separately below.

I believe that

• the causes of eating disorders are complex making them difficult to treat, requiring a multifaceted approach
• a holistic approach is needed to improve the lives of present sufferers and to reduce the incidence of eating disorders in the future. This includes
• trying to change societies attitude to body shape and body image
• improving attitudes towards sufferers
• advocating to the health board and government that it is urgent that these programs are adequately resourced
• sufferers who need hospitalisation are treated locally as far as practicable so they can receive support from their friends and family
• sensitive handling of publicity around the so called obesity epidemic (see elsewhere) is needed to ensure it does not worsen the incidence of eating disorders or parents putting their children on fad diets as these would result in even worse public health problems in the future.