Doctors Want Out of HPCA Bill

Doctors Want Out of HPCA Bill

The New Zealand Medical Association supports the proposal of ACT New Zealand Health Spokesman Heather Roy that amendments be made which would enable medical practitioners to continue to be covered by their current, modern and effective legislation, the Medical Practitioners Act.

‘The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Bill (HPCA) was conceived on the basis of applying the successful Medical Practitioners Act to other healthcare professions, but in its development it has lost its way,’ says NZMA Chairman Dr Tricia Briscoe.

‘The HPCA Bill is based on the completely unproven concept of codified scopes of practice for health practitioners. It also provides for a dramatic increase in bureaucratic involvement in professional matters and to increased Ministerial power.’

‘The Bill’s expressed aim is to improve safety for patients in New Zealand, but its continuing emphasis on ‘blame and shame’ and external control of the professions mean that, in our view, doctors’ patients will be more effectively protected by the current legislation. Evidence has shown that effective safety systems and self-regulation provide higher quality care,’ says Dr Briscoe.

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