by frog
The Greens will be unveiling a series of “Green Solutions” during the election campaign. Jeanette announced the first one at the campaign launch this afternoon: a free, annual “wellness check” for every New Zealander. Explains Jeanette:
The wellness check will be an opportunity for Kiwis to see a health professional when they’re not sick. It will be a free appointment for a general check-up, so that you can discuss how healthy your body is, any concerns you have, and get advice about what you can do to get healthier or stay healthy.
We know that New Zealanders have high rates of obesity, undiagnosed diabetes, skin cancers and STDs. We also know that screening for some illnesses can dramatically improve our chances of survival. For goodness sake, we demand an annual warrant of fitness for our cars, why not take the same precautions with our health?
What you’ll have done at your wellness check will depend on your age, gender, state of health, and so on, but could include:
- tests for blood pressure and cholesterol
- a skin check for melanoma
- screening for cancers, anaemia, or STDs
- a nutrition check-up
- exercise and fitness advice
- identification of other health needs such as depression, substance abuse, and pain management
This initiative would have an upfront cost of around $200 million a year, or around 2 percent of the current health budget. However, it would certainly pay for itself, over time, because many health problems would be picked up before they got serious. This is indicative of the Greens’ general preventative philosophy when it comes to health: if at all possible, it’s better to try and detect a disease early so you can prevent its worst consequences from unfolding.
Published in Campaign | Health & Wellbeing by frog on Sun, August 14th, 2005
Tags: environment
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
A great idea!
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I think this idea has some merit. As you say, all our vehicle fleet must have a WOF or COF to be deemed roadworthy, likewise ships and aeroplanes so why not us? Joy.
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Very good idea. Presumably we have the right to choose our own health advisor? I’d hate to have to see a GP as most wouldn’t know a healthy person from an unhealthy one, so long as they get their ‘incentives’ and kickbacks from those legalized drug dealers known as global pharmaceutical companies.
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Great idea. I had a general check done last year, but I had a heck of a time convincing my GP to give me as many indicative checks as possible. He seemed to think that since I wasn’t sick, i didn’t need any tests at all.
Perhaps if there were a way around the privacy issues, there could be an annual “health of the nation” report, which would enable health agencies and medical researchers to plan ahead.
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“It will pay for itself over time”
a) While that seems likely to me, has someone done the number-crunching to prove that?
b) Shouldn’t cervical smears be on that list of preventatives?
(I’m sensitive on that because my wife’s last smear found stuff that needed urgent action: if she’s waited another two years before getting one she’d probably be dying of cancer right now.).
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DR,
I think your comments about “incentives and kickbacks” are an untrue and unjust slur on the GPs I know, most of whom are honest, hard-working individuals. I’ve nothing good to say about global drug companies. But accusing all GPs of being in some conspiracy with them is both bizarre and unfair.
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Do you think that enough is getting done about the risk of sun related skin cancers, as a result of climate change / ozone depletion etc?
With the correct education, and easy prevention measures, these skin cancers are now so easily preventable, but still people flock to the beaches and risk this fate.
There are new products around: sunblock that lasts all day, and a personal UV Index meter /alarm which let’s you know when the UV gets to a dangerous level to remind you to seek shade.
Does anyone know if these are actually any good?
What else can be done to prevent these unnecessary ailments?
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More detailed information can be found here
http://nextcell.org/
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A free annual wellness check sounds like a great idea.
Re sunbathing and melanoma, there is a recent suggestion on the Global Ideas Bank called “Sunbathing in dark clothes”, for cooler sunny days:
http://www.globalideasbank.org/site/bank/idea.php?ideaId=5951
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