‘Profit’ made from ill-health in N.Z.

Press, 21 June 1977, Page 6

‘Profit’ made from ill-health in N.Z.

For too long, major interests such as breweries, tobacco companies and dairyboards had made a profit from products which can be associated with much illhealth in New Zealand, says Professor D. W. Beaven. Professor Beaven, who is head of the department of medicine at the Christchurch Clinical School, was speaking at the annual meeting of the Cardiac Companions Association last evening. He advocated stringent controls on liquor, cigarettes and fatty foods. Only through an educated democracy and humanitarian politicians, could further increases in ill-health be prevented, he said. The health of New Zealanders had fallen off in the last decade, compared with countries such as Norwav. Denmark and Switzerland, said Professor Beaven. This was not because some causes of illness could not be identified. but because New Zealand was unable to do anything about them. It was already well accepted that health could be maintained onlv through adequate knowledge and protection from overwhelming risks. Much of this knoweldge was available, but could not be used because of failure of political and regulatory action, he said. New Zealand was one of the most regulated countries in the world in many matters of personal freedom and property. But it was one of the countries which did not regulate the hazards to health — which were now so obvious. Health services were a proper matter of concern for the medical profession, and doctors were always concerned about obvious evidence in inequalitv in the services. Professor Beaven said. Most of the factors leading to chronic ill-health in New Zealand society could be altered by a major investment in health education. This could be achieved only bv changes in legislation to alter the ideas of young people in the community. These children, as citizens of the future, would then accept the preservation of health as a matter of continuing concern through their lifetime. An unpublished survey of schoolchildren in the Christchurch area indicated that good health was an assumption largelv taken for granted. said Professor Beaven. One could not state too strongly that the preservation of health was a matter for political action, and the Government must provide the means to do this by education and persuasion. The medical profession in New Zealand must accept a stronger leadership role, he said. They alone had the integrated knowledge to advise the Government on measures of health education which were vital, if there was not to be an increasing and overwhelming burden of illhealth. Health was a community matter, decided in a democracy by commonsense, and enacted by a political system well advised by excellent leadership from an integrated medical profession. Professor Beaven said he could find no evidence that for the total health expenditure of New Zealand it was spending a greater percentage of the Gross National Product than it should, in comparison with other countries of comparable living standards. Teaching hospitals in Christchurch. Wellington and Auckland were starved for funds, and attempted to undertake their role in a state of financial stringency unparalleled in the Western world, he said. There were widespread

areas or aenciency in the health service which had become increasingly unattractive for New Zealanders. On smoking and ill-health, Professor Beaven said the medical profession should say that all advertising by cigarette companies, including sporting activities, be banned, and that a progressive and crippling tax be placed on cigarettes to phase them out in 20 years, as in Norway. The D.S.LR. should investigate alternative crops for 'tobacco farming areas, and ishould subsidise a change to 'flower growing, seed oils, ■ nuts, vegetables, fruit and grapes. . On alcohol and ill-health, he said that New Zealand’s leaders should be advocating ija heavy and differential tax ion large taverns. Jugs of beer Jin taverns and hotels should be phased out, and there 'should be a heavy tax on ; 1 bulk sugar used in brewing. j The permissible blood alcojhol level should be reduced to 30mg, which would preIvent aggressive behaviour on (roads, and save S4OM to SSOM a year. A progressively increasing .(tax on beer and spirits should (be introduced, while taxes Jon table wines consumed at .(home should be reduced. Beer (should be taxed to increase J at taverns and clubs at a 10 (per cent rate faster than initiation. he said. ,| Relatives of alcoholics ; should be identified, for free .(education on handling alco>jhol. Some of the taxes men.itioned should be used on i(school health education, and .[a charge should be considlered for treatment of those 11 involved in road accidents •(with raised blood alcohol 11 levels. . With grossly and totally inadequate health education in . schools, how could the public ibe expected to appreciate

that perhaps 10 per cent to 20 per cent of New Zealand’s hospital costs were the self-inflictions of the unknowing and unaware, said Professor Beaven. On food and nutrition, he said there was now no doubt that over-consumption of calories and fats was a major New Zealand health hazard. There was now clear-cut evidence of gross overconsumption of food in NewZealand. A health tax should immediately be placed on butter. and fanners should be paid for lean animals, said Professor Beaven. There should be a decrease in full milk consumption in all adults by increased prices, which would subsidise children and those over 65. Major research should be done on milk products, and a major increase in the share of the national research budget on nutrition be demanded. Egg consumption should be reduced, and polyunsaturated egg development should be subsidised. If politicians were serious about improving health, these measures could be implemented and would immediately increase New Zealand’s health income by SSOM to SIOOM. New Zealand doctors from all disciplines should be organised into an academy of medical sciences thus providing a unified voice for professional groups interested in preserving health. New Zealand politicians must accept they had a responsibility to preserve health, said Professor Beaven. The community must demand a major change in the education system so children were taught about maintenance of health.