PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Health

National Lurching Back To Muldoonism

"National's list of core values is a sham," said Libertarianz health spokesman Richard McGrath today, slamming his National Party counterpart, Tony Ryall, who last week said a National Government would refuse to lift existing price controls on the fees GPs can charge their patients. "They claim to champion individual freedom and choice, competitive enterprise and limited government. State controls on prices are none of the above."

Dr McGrath - a general practitioner - believes doctors should be able to charge whatever price they feel is fair compensation for services rendered, as a way of balancing supply and demand. "If a GP charges too much, patients will go elsewhere. If patients are happy to pay the doctor's fee, then what is the problem?"

The Libertarianz Party has a deregulation policy for health which involves privatization of public hospitals, and medical savings accounts which would shift responsibility for arranging health care back to those who receive it. The health care market would be freed up and the Ministry of Health abolished. There would also be massive tax cuts with income tax abolished altogether after five years.

"National have done another 'me-too' on the issue of GP fees – their policies are no different from those of the Labour Party, and a vote for them at the coming election is a wasted vote," Dr McGrath concludes.

"It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!"

ENDS

© Scoop Media