Andrew Dickens Afternoons

The first thing I thought when I heard of the new surgical wait list criteria policy which includes ethnicity is that Labour wants to lose this election. If their strategists didn't immediately see the risks in this policy then what are they doing in the job. After an autumn full of racially tinged politics where it is obvious that that National and Labour are more than willing to hoe into any policy favouring Maori and Pacific Islanders, this should have been placed in the "not now, not ever" pile. And I say not ever because this is fundamentally bad policy. It asks doctors to award care based on race and not need which is against the fundamental tenet of providing care to everyone with no fear of favour. From the Hippocratic Oath through to the Geneva Convention doctors are taught to treat people humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria. But not in New Zealand. If the doctors are moaning about it then you know i