Entries by silvia

Has New Zealand’s health watchdog lost its bark, asks Stuart McLennan.

In 1974 New Zealand abandoned a tort-based system for compensating personal injuries in favour of a government-funded compensation system, ACC. The ACC legislation effectively prevents injured or otherwise aggrieved patients from pursuing legal action in court. The Cartwright Inquiry ultimately led to a new external mechanism for accountability in the New Zealand health system, with […]

HDC: Watchdog or Guard Dog? By Stuart McLennan

As New Zealand’s ‘Health Watchdog’, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) acts as an independent health ombudsman, serving as the initial recipient of complaints about health and disability services providers. In a legal system where injured or otherwise aggrieved patients are effectively prevented from suing in court for malpractice due to the ACC legislation, the […]

Never disclosed to patients, cause of gallstones

Most of this information is never disclosed to clients, intentionally blocking patients from receiving sufficient relevant information to make an informed decision about alternative treatment options including elimination gallstone producing medications  Instead patients are advised : “Doctors do not know exactly why some people get gallstones and others don’t” Right 6, Right to be fully […]