"The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition."
These words, which were incorporated into the World Health Organization's Constitution nearly 80 years ago, are more important and powerful than ever. Because everyone should have the right to access the healthcare they need when and where they need it without facing financial hardship. This is known as the "right to health for all people." Nobody should suffer illness or pass away simply because they are unable to access the necessary medical care. Other basic human rights, like access to clean water to drink, adequate housing, education, and safe working conditions, which are also clearly linked to good health, are still something that third-world countries haven't come close to addressing. We still have a long way to go until each and every person-regardless of who they are, where they live, or how much money they have-has access to these basic human rights.
Throughout the world, many countries don't have equal rights to health, mainly due to a lack of funding. People who have serious illnesses can't afford the many drugs that could help them, even in New Zealand. For instance, a groundbreaking treatment for cystic fibrosis, which can provide patients with a much improved quality of life, is not funded by our health system, costing sufferers and their families over $330,000. However, in Australia, their healthcare system fully funds this, letting patients lead an almost healthy life. So some people move there in order to get the medication that can treat it. But you can only get it if you can prove that you entered Australia for a long term or permanently, sign up for Medicare, and provide 100 points of proof of your identity.
The lack of trained healthcare providers is one of the main issues affecting healthcare in New Zealand. How we can train and keep this important resource is just one of the many questions that need to be answered. Once students finish their training, they leave the country for better pay. What else can we do to keep them from leaving? Can we offer them training with the condition that they remain in the country? Or can we keep charging them student loan debt and pay them more? So should healthcare workers' training be subsidised? In my opinion, if the healthcare workers receive subsidies, they must work in the industry in New Zealand or the country they're working in for at least five years before leaving to find better financial opportunities in another country.
So, what then can we do to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare and to ensure that it is reasonable? And what is the government prepared to do to bring about that outcome? Would it be better for us to follow in the British footsteps, or are we leading towards the US healthcare system where they don't provide free healthcare to the entire population? Many of our lawmakers decide on a lot of these issues, so voters should be aware of what each party stands for and do their research before casting a vote in a general election that's taking place next year. This is the only way things are going to improve. Everybody has a voice. Make yours be heard. Thank you very much.
