Prebble Slams Race-Based Health

Wednesday 19 Jun 2002 Richard Prebble Press Releases -- Health

ACT leader Richard Prebble has slammed the government's proposal to fund GPs partially on the base of their patients' race.

"Under Labour's proposals GPs will be quizzing patients about their race. Wealthy lawyers who are one 64^th Maori will get cheap visits to the GP, while a poor white person will have to pay.

"This is health apartheid - a race-based health system. There is no sound basis for the taxpayer to subsidise a sick Maori child more than a sick white child.

"There are more non-Maori poor people than Maori - that is a fact that the latest census data proves. The health system should be colour blind.

"ACT will make the need for a colour blind health system an election issue."

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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