Health Department Disputes Society’s Charges

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32019, 20 June 1969, Page 26

Health Department Disputes Society’s Charges

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 19. Statements by the Constitutional Society that the Department of Health was an “autocratic, power-mad” department were described by the Director-General of Health (Dr D. P. Kennedy) today as “ill-conceived, irresponsible and completely at variance with the facts.”

Last week the Constitutional Society called on the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) for an independent public inquiry into alleged autocratic and dictatorial acts and the promotion of excessively repressive legislation by the Department of Health. The society’s president (Sir James Donald), said the society was increasingly disturbed

by the spate of questionable legislation emanating from the department. In many cases this represented infringements on the long-accep-ted rights of citizens, he said. Dr Kennedy said: “For a number of years the Department of Health has been pursuing a deliberate policy of transferring to other agencies its responsibilities for operating national medical care programmes.” He gave examples and said: “These policy moves clearly give the lie to the Constitutional Society’s contention that ‘the Department of

Health in particular had pressed on with its aim to gain total control.' Select Committees “The society’s criticism oi the role of departmental officers in respect of its submissions to select committees of Parliament certainly has little relevance in the case of the Department of Health, which has earned high praise from members of the Statutes Re vision Committee, for example, for the work of its officers.”

Dr Kennedy said that a former chairman of this committee, Mr D. J. Riddiford (Nat., Wellington Central) recently told Parliament, when the Food and Drug Bill was reported back that he wished to pay tribute to the manner in Which the bill was prepared. Mt Riddiford said it was extremely well done and the departmental officers explained the clauses to the Statutes Revision Committee in the most excellent fashion.

Dr Kennedy added that the particular comments by the Constitutional Society on the Food and Drug Bill were “vituperative nonsense.” “Comments Confuse” “In the first place these comments confuse those provisions Of the bill which relate to the publication of advertisements with the provisions which relate to the sale of drugs, and appear to claim that amendments were made in respect of the one in order to meet the objections of the other.

“In the second place, the society says the Statutes Revision Committee ‘added a whole new clause to provide that any person could treat a patient legally in his care.’ “The committee did not. and

could not do anything of the sort, because the original bill never prohibited such treatment." Dr Kennedy said it was regrettable that an organisation of the standing of the Constitutional Society should be “so misinformed and inaccurate” in its statements. “No Grounds” He said the Health Department would not be afraid of an independent public inquiry such as that the society had called for. “We are convinced that an investigation would establish beyond any doubt that there are absolutely no grounds for the society’s allegations of autocratic and dictatorial actions and the promotion of excessively repressive legislation by the department."