Editor’s note: The information below is reproduced from the latest email newsletter from The NZ Health Freedom Trust, To receive their emails directly, please sign up to their email list at www.healthfreedom.co.nz
Background information about the issues raised in this piece may be found at a number of links on our website including HERE, HERE and HERE.
If you would like to write to your MP,as Health Freedom Trust NZ recommends, there is information (including links to email addresses for MPs at this link of our website.
If you would like to write to MPs, the key message to give is that you do not want them to vote for the Natural Health Products bill but instead support the model bill developed by the NZ Health Trust; please see this link for details.
Latest Update from The Health Freedom NZ Trust
April 5, 2016
How can the Ministry of Health credibly claim that it has consulted when the version of the Natural Health Products Bill it was consulting on was unavailable at the time to the public and submitter?
Health Freedom NZ encourages you to contact your MP with your concerns. Click here [to access email addresses and information – Ed] do this.
Discussion
The Ministry of Health’s proposed changes to the Bill are contained in a draft Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) dated 18 August 2015. The SOP is presented as a revised bill. The principal changes are identified in the SOP Table document (prepared by the Ministry).
The latest version of the supplementary order paper on the Natural Health Products Bill dated 15 March 2016. Click here [to be directed to the NZ Parliamentary website] to access a copy.
The principal material changes from the consultation draft SOP dated 18 August 2015 are:
1. Practitioner-only products can now include non-permitted substances and do not need to be notified. Previously practitioners could only supply “permitted natural health products”, defined as natural health products containing only permitted substances.
2. Natural health products at a concentration of 20 parts per million do not require notification. This amends the previous concentration of 10 ppm.
3. If the Minister of Health proposes under the Medicines Act to declare a medicine that is natural substance to be a prescription medicine, restricted medicine or pharmacy–only medicine, the Minister must consult the Natural Health Products Regulatory Authority before doing so. This is a new requirement.
4. The provision deeming manufacturing facilities licensed by a recognised authority to be compliant with the code of practice has been broadened to include products manufactured under a “licence or other permission” granted by a recognised authority”. Just what “other permission” might include is very unclear.
5. The definition of “permitted natural health product” has been removed. This appears primarily to be a consequence of the change noted at 1 above.
The Ministry’s consultation process that concluded on 4 March 2016 was based on this SOP. However this SOP was not publicly available until after the consultation period finished. The earlier SOP dated 18 August 2015 (that contained substantial changes to the Bill as amended by the Health Select Committee) was also not publicly available.
What on earth is the Ministry of Health doing? How can it credibly claim that it has consulted when the version of the Bill it was consulting on was unavailable to the public and submitter.
Regards,
HFNZ Team
The website for the Health Freedom Incorporated Charitable Trust is www.healthfreedom.co.nz
NB: The NZ Journal of Natural Medicine frequently includes articles relating to freedom of choice in healthcare Our online shop, where you can buy printed and PDF copies of our magazine is here.
The featured image used with this post is courtesy of TeddyBear[Picnic] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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