@nprofile1q... @nprofile1q... yeah, I know, ACT. The strings are a problem, and they play a role even when they aren't there - I recall meeting with Ayesha Verrall when she held the Health portfolio and she was adamant that more funding could not be made available for medicines because that would only benefit big pharma. That sounds sensible on the face of things (and I would have previously agreed to some extent) but it actually ran counter to the expert advice that increasing pharmac's budget (and adjusting their settings) would provide us with greater leverage in negotiations and result in better value and far more coverage for NZ'ers. We get good value deals thanks to Pharmac, but we also shoot ourselves in the foot just as often through delays, budget constraints, and poor processes.

As a bogeyman,big pharma influences our healthcare from multiple directions whether we like it or not. I think of them almost as a tidal force. locally, I guess, I'm interested in pragmatic forward movement even when some of those proposing it are...not my cup of tea.

As for eugenics? Yeah, don't mention health economics when you're standing anywhere near me. I am liable to begin shouting and waving my arms about in a dangerous way.