PRESS RELEASE
From Libertarianz Party

Senior Doctors Duped By Health Minister

"The new Principal Medical Officer position is a political invention designed to keep doctors on a shorter leash," said sceptical Libertarianz health spokesman Richard McGrath today.

McGrath is disappointed that the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists applauds the further degradation of autonomous medical practice, saying he expects to see some short term concessions, "which will only serve to entrench the medical guild's position as protected and well-paid enforcers of socialist dogma."

These concessions will come at a cost, he says: "The PMO will be a neutered, defanged, declawed ministerial lapdog. Do ASMS really believe the health minister will take any more notice of her hand-picked tame doctor than she does of the current medical hierarchy?"

Dr McGrath, a Masterton general practitioner, added: "Either Ian Powell has been played for a sucker by the health bureau-rats, or he and his organisation are actively collaborating with them to further restrict the professional freedom of doctors."

Libertarianz support the dissolution of positions such as 'Principal Medical Officer', and 'Health Minister' believing that the medical profession can regulate itself, and that health care shouldn't be rationed out by the state as though it was in short supply.

"Consumer and advocate groups such as Women's Health Action are quite capable of rooting out incompetent practitioners, and the justice system can sort out miscreants such as Morgan Fahey. There's no reason for this obscene conspiracy between senior doctors and the very central planners who give us public hospital waiting lists."

ENDS

Dr Richard McGrath * Libertarianz Deputy Leader * Fax 06 377 3070 * mcgrath@no-income-tax.com

www.libertarianz.org.nz www.libz.org

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