Stopping smoking help rate falls
WELLINGTON: The percentage of smokers being offered help to quit by their health providers has fallen significantly in the past two years, according to an official measure.
Smokefree campaigners say it is a disappointing trend and the Opposition is accusing the Government of losing focus on health targets.
But ministers say smoking rates are still falling and other clinical checks are taking priority.
New data published by the Ministry of Health shows in the middle of 2017 about 89% of patients registered as smokers had been offered help by health professionals in the previous 15 months, but that figure had slumped to 82.9% by September last year.
A year ago, nine of the country’s DHBs were hitting a target set by the previous Government to help 90% of patients who were smokers, while only three — West Coast, Whanganui and Wairarapa — met that goal in the most recent figures.
The data does not include the total number of patients who took up help.
In 2018, Health Minister David Clark announced he had asked health officials to come up with a new set of measurements to replace the previous Government’s set of six — which include the smoking target — saying they created perverse incentives.
But those replacements have still not been finished and the ministry continues to publish the results against the old goals.
National Party health spokesman Michael Woodhouse said the smoking figures showed the Government had lost focus on measurable goals and the results were flowing on to the performance of the health system.
‘‘You’d think if measures were important, at some point in a 15month period those smokers would be given the advice,’’ Mr Woodhouse said.
‘‘Not only is it not happening, in some areas there’s been dramatic reductions. Those should be setting off alarm bells.’’
Mr Woodhouse said the Government had been invisible on smoke cessation efforts, despite a goal of New Zealand being smokefree by 2025 remaining in place.
The director of smokefree campaign group Ash, Deborah Hart, said the country was not on target to become smokefree in five years.
‘‘If DHBs are reaching less people, that’s terribly disappointing,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s a whole lot of services that need to be offered and DHBs are part of that.’’
Ms Hart said the Government needed to commit significantly more money from tobacco tax revenue to help quit services and DHBs.
But Government Minister Phil Twyford said the figure did not reflect the actual results.
‘‘The really important measure are the rates of smoking and they continue to decline,’’ he said.
‘‘Rates of smoking have, among adults, declined to 12.5%, down from 18% in 200607.’’
Mr Twyford said advice from the Ministry of Health suggested as other clinical checks, such as mental health, became important and new tools to help quitting became available — such as vaping and more nicotine gum being funded by Pharmac — some clinics were prioritising the question less.
The Government was finalising new, ‘‘more meaningful’’ measures for DHBs, Mr Twyford said.
Smoking is estimated to kill about 5000 people in New Zealand each year. — The New Zealand Herald