Prior to state and federal elections, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons provides an opportunity for political parties to outline policy positions on key issues relating to the delivery of surgical services by providing a document outlining the areas of specific concern and relevance to the Fellows, Trainees and International Medical Graduates of New Zealand in the lead-up to the forthcoming election. RACS then distributes the responses to its membership and the broader community.
In the lead-up to the 2017 New Zealand General Election, RACS distributed an election statement to all the major New Zealand parties posing policy questions on the following five key issues:
- Elective prioritisation and unmet need
- Māori health equity
- Alcohol-related harm
- Obesity
- Health workforce
Read the complete election statement at the link below.