1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Doctors are being told they need permission before commenting on 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: regional issues that could impact public health. Health Minister Simeon 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: Brown says he's fed up with the doctors giving advice 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: on issues like fast food. Executive director of the Association 5 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: of Salary Medical Specialist Sarah Dalton is with me now, 6 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: good morning. 7 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 2: Sarah, Good morning. 8 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: Is Simon Brown overstepping the mark here? 9 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 2: I think he is. 10 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, what's been the reaction by doctors. 11 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: There's a real sense of unease, I think not just 12 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 2: within the National Public Health Service, but more widely that 13 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 2: there's an attempt to I guess silence doctors prevent them 14 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 2: from properly speaking up, both for issues of public health 15 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 2: and also patient safety. As far as public health goes, 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: it's a really key component of public health. Physicians and 17 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 2: particularly medical offices of health jobs to speak to issues 18 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 2: of broader public well being and them is the suggesting 19 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 2: that they confine themselves to immunizations is very narrow view 20 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 2: and is wrong. You know, there are lots of legislative 21 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 2: powers that medical offices of health have. I think if 22 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 2: the Minister is concerned about those who needs to work 23 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,040 Speaker 2: through the proper parliamentary processes. 24 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: He's saying, any advice needs to be signed off at 25 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: a national level. Is this even practical? 26 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 2: Well, it flies in the face of certainly the direction 27 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 2: that Minister Reti was taking before him, of trying to 28 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 2: devolve back to local decision making across de fut To order. 29 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,119 Speaker 2: That was very much an argument that was being put 30 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 2: and that, you know, the idea that taking a national 31 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: approach under to fut To Order was the wrong way 32 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 2: to go. So for regions have been established and under 33 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 2: that the districts remain. Certainly the PI order legislation talks 34 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 2: about localities and empowering people for local decision making that 35 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 2: suited the local context. So it would be really nice 36 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 2: to know consistently what this government actually wants, what they're 37 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: going to support. And I think local people understand that 38 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: what is right for in Chicago may not be right 39 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 2: for West Coast or the card Cutter. So I think, 40 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 2: you know, we need to we need to be sensible here, 41 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: but we also need to respect the significant training and 42 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 2: also responsibilities that a number of our senior doctors hold 43 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 2: under legislation that can get on with their work. 44 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: Because do doctors actually have a duty to advise on 45 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 1: things like fast food. 46 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, they do. So that's a core component. You know, 47 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: medical public health is in some respect about the social 48 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 2: and commercial determinants of health. You know, their patients, if 49 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 2: you like, is the whole populations of whole communities as 50 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 2: wide as the whole of New Zealand. That's why you know, 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 2: immunizations is an easy example to understand that if enough 52 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 2: people get immunized, that's a health prevention activity. People are 53 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 2: less liked to be infected if in setious disease arrives, right, 54 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: and so it helps to prevent against that. People don't 55 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 2: always see as clearly the wider social harms that can 56 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 2: be caused, for example, about access to you know, alcohol, tobacco, 57 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 2: fast food. They absolutely have an impact on people's health 58 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 2: and well being. And if where you live you have 59 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 2: ready access to those things and you can't afford to 60 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 2: buy healthier food, that is also going to have an 61 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 2: impact at a community level on people's health and well being. 62 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 2: So doctors do have an obligation, based on evidence what 63 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 2: we know, to talk about those things. 64 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: If doctors aren't giving the advice, who do we turn to. 65 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: That's very good question, isn't it. I don't know, it's 66 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 2: a little early in the days. I mean to give 67 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 2: you a proper, a proper answer on that, but I 68 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 2: think you know. The point is, we have a trained 69 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 2: and qualified cohort of professionals who can give us that information. 70 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: Why would we not use it? 71 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: So is there a plan to avoid the overreach here? 72 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 2: Sarah, Well, we will keep supporting our members to speak 73 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 2: out about what the evidence says and about what is 74 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 2: the right thing to do. We certainly will continue to 75 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,359 Speaker 2: support them to speak out for patient safety because I 76 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 2: think that is absolutely critical and that is what the 77 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 2: people of New Zealand want. 78 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: Sarah Dalton, thank you for joining me this morning. Appreciate 79 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: that was the executive director of the Association of Salaried 80 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: Medical Specialists. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, 81 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, 82 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.