Leading advocacy group ActionStation is meeting publicly
on Wednesday 4 October with prominent health spokespeople
from Labour and the Greens to showcase the public support
for universal dental in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The
group will be handing over the current signatories of its
universal dental petition to the health spokespeople for the
parties with existing universal dental plans – the Labour
Party and the Green Party.
16,677 people have signed
the
ActionStation / Dental for All petition, calling on the
Government to bring “dental care into the public
healthcare system”. Labour health spokesperson Ayesha
Verrall and Green health spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez
March will receive the petition details on
Wednesday.
“This is a major outpouring of support
for a petition,” says Max Harris, campaigner with the
Dental for All coalition based within ActionStation, “and
we’re passing over this petition to show the level of
public support for universal dental being
prioritised.”
The petition was launched in March
this year by the Dental for All coalition. Another poll
earlier this year, commissioned by the Association of
Salaried Medical Specialists, showed
74% of people in New Zealand support universal dental,
including 77% of Labour and Green voters, and 73% of
National and ACT voters.
“We’re very glad to see
universal dental on the agenda this election,” adds Max
Harris, “and the surge of support we received for this
petition shows that the public recognises that universal
dental is good for our health and good for the economy as a
whole.”
The Green Party’s plan is to establish a
national dental service that makes dental care free for all,
funded by a wealth tax. The Labour Party’s plan is to make
universal dental available to under 30s as a first step
towards universal dental for all.
“After 80 years of
dental care being excluded from our public healthcare
system, we are excited to see a window opening up to plug
this gap in public healthcare, and we want to see the next
government grasping this opportunity,” says Max
Harris.
The petition will be delivered, along with
leading comments from signatories, to Ayesha Verrall and
Ricardo Menéndez March on 4pm on Wednesday 4 October in the
University of Auckland Quad next to Albert Park (Princes
St).
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