Child Health Must Be Priority, Says PHA

Child Health Must Be Priority, Says PHA

The health of children must be given priority in the next budget, the Public Health Association (PHA) told Parliament's Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) today. The FEC is hearing submissions on the Budget Policy Statement - the document in which the Government outlines the general direction of the budget.

PHA Director Dr Gay Keating said the budget should focus on ensuring all families can afford healthy food and adequate housing.

"While the PHA supports the overarching policy goals described in the Budget Policy Statement 2007, there is not enough emphasis on the health of children and families. People who are unwell are less productive and less able to contribute to society."

She said in particular there should be an emphasis on keeping people healthy in the first place, not just treating people once they become sick.

"The poverty and poor housing children experience now will affect their future health. The social conditions of families now can make children sick now and in the future.

"For example, respiratory diseases, meningitis and skin infections all flourish when parents can't afford to buy disinfectants, skin dressings and supply clean dry towels. Disease is more likely in houses that are overcrowded and damp."

She called upon the Government to use the budget to invest in the future of our children.

"A Government that puts in place policies which ensure families have enough money to eat well and live in adequate housing is paid back a thousand fold in the future. Children who grow up mentally and physically healthy are able to contribute fully to society."

The PHA would like the Budget Policy Statement to signal that the Government will: develop and fund food policies to ensure all families have adequate access to sufficient nourishing food develop and fund housing policies to ensure all New Zealanders have access to adequate housing ensure all children have access to a secure, adequate standard of living, irrespective of the employment/beneficiary status of their parent of guardian develop and fund policies to eliminate racism both within the health and disability system and in our wider community allocate all new or additional health care funding for preventive and early intervention services to reduce the number of avoidable admissions and preventable deaths, to reduce inequalities in health and to improve health overall increase tobacco taxation to help people quit smoking. Some of the additional tobacco tax gathered should go into tobacco control programmes.

ENDS

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