ACT welcomes Medical Council reset

ACT Health spokesperson Todd Stephenson is welcoming the Health Minister's refusal to reappoint the Medical Council’s chair and deputy chair, saying the decision is a necessary reset for a regulator that was putting ideology ahead of patient wellbeing.

“Doctors raised the alarm with ACT about draft Medical Council guidance that would have required them to develop knowledge of ‘colonial histories’, examine ‘privilege’, and challenge the ‘dominant culture’ of the health system,” says Todd Stephenson.

“ACT listened, in February I wrote to the Minister, and now we are seeing action.

“The Medical Council's planned guidance on cultural competence, cultural safety, and Hauora Māori risked embedding political ideology into the standards doctors must meet. The Medical Council's approach also threatened the health system's delivery of health services on the basis of need, not race – a Coalition commitment secured by ACT.

“Professional regulators need to stay in their lane. The Medical Council should be laser-focused on patient safety and clinical competence. It is not there to impose contested political narratives on the medical profession.

“People often ask what the Government is doing to get equal rights, equal dignity, and non-discrimination back into the public service. This is a clear example. Guidance was being developed for the Medical Council saying doctors needed to examine privilege and challenge culture, instead of focusing on being good doctors. Now we have a chance in leadership.

“New leadership should translate to a change in direction. I'm urging the Medical Council to withdraw the draft cultural safety guidance entirely.

“ACT will continue to stand up for equal rights, equal dignity, and non-discrimination in public services. In healthcare, that means treating patients according to clinical need, not race or ideology."