Media Release
23 March 2004
Tb Getting Out Of Control
New Zealand First is calling on the Government to implement the immigrant health check policy immediately instead of
phasing it in over a year, after the release of the latest TB figures for 2003 from Auckland.
“Last year saw a 20 percent increase in TB cases in the Auckland area, with many of the cases being immigrants and
refugees,” said health spokesperson Barbara Stewart.
”It is time for the Government to put the immigrant health check policy into action now before we reach epidemic
proportions for a disease that was non-existent in New Zealand for many years.
“The reality is that we are importing diseases that we do not want here at the expense of New Zealand people.
“It is the taxpayer who is paying for these people to go into our health system, which can barely look after our own
people. This means New Zealanders are being denied treatment because immigrants with TB are ahead in the queue.
“To add to this problem there is a new strain of TB that cannot be cured but only managed. This strain must have been
introduced in recent years.
“TB is an expensive and time consuming disease to treat, when it can be treated. The Government has no choice but to
implement stringent health checks on all immigrants immediately,” said Mrs Stewart.
ENDS