Question to the Political Parties ahead of the 2023 Election
“What specific policies do you have that will help adults and children living with diabetes?”
With the general election happening in a couple of months, we ask each of the Members of Parliament that are responsible for health what their parties can do for diabetes. ‘What specific policies do you have that will help adults and children living with diabetes?’
THE OPPORTUNITIES PARTY (TOP)
Dr Nina Su is the candidate for The Opportunities Party (TOP), standing for the Epsom seat. She is an emergency and children’s doctor, working in Auckland.
‘As a small party, our health policy does not have a specific policy targeted to diabetes care. ‘As a paediatric doctor myself, however, I fully support expansion of funding to include blood glucose monitoring tools such as Freestyle Libre to improve care for both type 1 diabetes and moderate to severe type 2 diabetes.
‘I also support more education and training to enable families and individuals to become more independent with their diabetes control as well as community-based health programmes for adults to improve type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
‘Our Project Teal policy for under 30s encourages improved exercise with free public transport (which is known to increase people's baseline exercise), a bike allowance (e-bike or push bike), as well as free primary care, dental, and optometry. We believe that investment in prevention and early intervention will help reduce morbidity and mortality related to diabetes and its complications.’
NZ LABOUR PARTY MP
Dr Ayesha Verrall is the Minister for Health as well as for Research, Science and Innovation. Before entering Parliament, she was an infectious diseases doctor in Wellington.
‘The government recognises that diabetes is a growing issue in our communities and that it is not felt evenly across our society. The burden of diabetes falls disproportionately on our Māori and Pacific communities. We are committed to addressing these inequities by providing quality care for those with diabetes and supporting robust preventative measures.
‘Similarly, we have consistently increased Pharmac’s medicines budget while we've been in government. Budget 2022 contained the biggest-ever increase to Pharmac's medicines budget, and Pharmac has said that these significant budget uplifts from Government may mean funding devices, like continuous glucose monitors, could be possible.
‘As part of Budget 2022, we allocated $20 million to implement a targeted diabetes prevention and treatment programme for Pacific communities in South Auckland. It will include a mix of community and tertiary care initiatives and integrate a Pacific model of care. This initiative will also include 100 training places to grow and develop the Pacific health workforce's response to diabetes. The learnings from this programme will be used to evaluate and inform a broader Pacific diabetes programme in the future.’
THE ACT PARTY
List MP Brooke van Veldon is Deputy Leader of ACT.
‘Currently, the biggest barrier to accessing primary healthcare is getting an appointment in the first place. This is why the ACT Party has committed to increasing General Practice Capitation by $163 million, or approximately 13%, to ensure that Kiwis can access healthcare when they need and where they need it.
‘This increase in GP funding of approximately 13% will subsidise the equivalent of approximately 2.5 million extra GP visits. These extra GP visits will benefit all New Zealanders, including those seeking to treat, detect, or prevent diabetes.
‘ACT is continuing to work on additional health policies, and these will be released closer to the election.
THE NATIONAL PARTY
List MP Dr Shane Reti is the Party Spokesperson for Health as well as Māori-Crown Relations, Pacific People, and the Covid-19 Response. He has continued to be a practising doctor during his time in Parliament.
‘National is working on policy in this area, and we will have more to say in the coming months.’
GREEN PARTY OF AOTEROA NEW ZEALAND
‘The Green Party will ensure everyone has healthy food and warm dry homes and can access the healthcare they need. Ensure public healthcare services are timely, accessible, and meet the needs of everyone in Aotearoa – including progressively expanding the health services offered through the public system. Empower and resource the Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) to work in an equal partnership together with the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) to improve outcomes for whānau, hapū, iwi, and hapori.
‘Increase funding for PHARMAC so that it can invest in new medicines and health care devices to enhance treatment outcomes and quality of life.
‘Our Income Guarantee will ensure everyone can afford life’s essentials, and our Rental Warrant of Fitness will help people stay healthy at home. When people need access to healthcare, we will make sure it is affordable and available where they need it.
*At the time of going to print, we have not had a response from Te Pāti Māori.