Government's smoking stats a smokescreen

The Government is deliberately ignoring health data that doesn’t tell the story it wants the public to hear, Labour’s Associate Health spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway says.

“Statistics collected by the Ministry of Health reveal that every district health board (DHB) except one is failing to get close to acceptable rates for early smoking cessation intervention.

“The Government wants us to believe it has made smoking cessation a priority. These figures highlight the reality – it hasn’t, “Iain Lees-Galloway.

“The Ministry of Health expects 90 per cent of smokers who see a GP to be provided with advice and help to quit, yet only one DHB is reaching that target.

“No other DHB is even close. In fact, on average they are underperforming by 57%.

“Tony Ryall, of course, is allergic to bad news, so these figures never get reported.

“Interestingly he talks up statistics around smokers who end up in hospital* and the advice they get there.

“But only reporting smoking cessation activities in hospitals is ludicrous. Far more people see their GP than go to hospital.

If the Minister really is serious about reducing the incidence of cancer – one of the leading causes of preventable illness and death – then he should be aiming at doing more than giving someone a pamphlet when they end up in hospital.

“If the Minister’s targets really are about getting DHBs to perform better, the Government should be telling the whole story.

“Right now it just looks like a political device to highlight the good news and sweep the bad under the carpet,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

* The reported target is that 95 per cent of hospitalised smokers will be provided with advice and help to quit by July 2012. The data covers patients presenting to Emergency Departments, day stay and other hospital based interventions.