Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Sick New Zealanders will pay under John Key’s TPPA

28 July 2015

Sick New Zealanders will pay under John Key’s TPPA


The Prime Minister’s admission today that the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will hike the cost of medicine in New Zealand is yet another reason why we need to immediately withdraw from the dead-end deal, the Green Party said today.

“John Key has been pretending throughout the TPPA negotiations that the deal won’t damage our public health system, but he has finally come clean and admitted that the TPPA will mean medicines cost more in New Zealand,” said Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague.

“The Government needs to tell the New Zealand public how Pharmac’s going to suddenly find millions of dollars to fund these more expensive medicines without passing those costs on to everyday Kiwis at the pharmacy counter.

“New Zealanders should not have to pay more for their medicine because the Government is determined to have something to show for the thousands of hours they’ve spent negotiating this dead-end deal.

“We should be protecting our public health system, not selling it down the river for a trade agreement that’s going to line the pockets of overseas corporations.

“Medical professionals, who work every day with our sickest and most vulnerable people, have been saying for a long time that the TPPA will put patients and our public health system at risk, and raise the cost of medicine, but the Government has stubbornly refused to engage with them.

“The TPPA will restrict Pharmac in small ways that in aggregate will substantially weaken its negotiating position, leading to more expensive medicines and poorer access to prescription drugs for New Zealanders, and a poorer standard of medical care across the board.

“This is a make or break moment for our public health system.

“The history books will judge John Key’s Government very harshly for allowing the TPPA to erode our public health system,” said Mr Hague.

ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.