Tuesday, 9 December 2003, 5:39 pm
Press Release: New Zealand First Party
Media Release
9 December 2003NZ Healthcare Handed To
Aussies
Rt Hon Winston Peters has warned the Health
Minister Annette King not to hand the healthcare of New
Zealanders over to Australia by signing a treaty to set up a
joint drugs regulation agency tomorrow.
The new Trans
Tasman Joint Therapeutic Agency (JTA), which will be
effective from 1 July 2005, will regulate drugs, over the
counter medicines, dietary supplements and alternative
medicines.
Mr Peters said that the Government was signing
away our capability to control both pharmaceutical drugs and
so-called �natural� medical products and dietary supplements
to Australia and some pharmaceutical companies were already
relocating there.
�We believe that consumers should be
protected through regulation of both pharmaceutical drugs
and natural remedies but it should be an expert process
based in this country.
�It should be remembered that the
Pan Pharmaceuticals case, in which the culprit was a
pharmaceutical product, was allowed to happen in Australia
and the effect flowed on to innocent parties in New
Zealand.
�There is widespread concern that natural
remedies and dietary supplements are to be hammered under
the new JTA regime.
�The hypocrisy of the Government�s
position is shown by the fact that traditional Maori Rongoa
medicine has been exempt from the new Australian-based
system.
�Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia removed
�natural� Maori medicine from the agenda and the Minister
has kept very quiet about this separatist approach.,� said
Mr
Peters.
ENDS
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