Doctors Want Out
Monday 21 Jul 2003 Heather Roy Press Releases -- Health
ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy today moved that amendments be made to have doctors removed from the
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Bill, and said that the existing Medical Practitioners Act will provide better
protection for both the medical practitioner and the public.
"Both the New Zealand Medical Association and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists believe that the current
Medical Practitioners Act serves both the public and themselves better," Mrs Roy said.
"Doctors have been expressing their concern with this Bill for some time, and have publicly stated that they want to be
excluded from it. The MPA is effective, dealing well with modern practice and protecting patients.
"The new HPCA Bill is clumsy, bureaucratic and laden with scope for political interference. The Government claims that
the Bill aims to protect the public - but, in reality, it will not encourage professionalism, it will work against it
"Originally, the HPCA Bill aimed to take the MPA and relate it to other professions - such as nurses, dentists and
physiotherapists - which already have their own legislation, not just doctors. Now, however, any positive parallels
between the HPCA Bill and the MPA have disappeared. The huge HPCA Bill will repeal 11 current Acts.
"Health Minister Annette King has had ample opportunity to address the common concerns of doctors and other health
professionals, but has instead chosen to ignore them. Despite making their concerns known to the Minister, doctors have
gained no ground, and now have no other option than to retreat.
"If passed, the HPCA Bill is expected to remain the law for decades. This is too long to have bad legislation in place,
when doctors already have an effective, up-to-date Act that protects both the public, and health practitioners well,"
Mrs Roy said.
ENDS
For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at
act@parliament.govt.nz.