26 Comments

A really good read and very informative. In a climate of public servants being encouraged to remain silent I admire your courage in speaking out.

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While it seems the management team were not quite up to speed on the employment contract under which you and other doctors are employed, I trust that after the ‘highly meaningful, enlightening and worthwhile discussion’ they are now fully informed. I am sure they must be grateful for, and respectful of, the enormous effort you have put into researching doctors’ ‘ethical obligations.’ Good on this management team for going into the meeting with open minds. If only those higher up the food chain would behave similarly.

Congratulations on what you have done. I hope you are feeling much less stress now that there is more understanding in your place of work.

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Thank you Dr Payinda, for your advocacy on our behalf.

As you write, a Dr has "an equal obligation to the well-being of patients in general".

This kind of begs the question why Dr Shane Reti has not met his sacrosanct obligation to speak out to protect patients in general from the harm in relaxing smoking restrictions. Or underfunding of basic health services.

It seems he is overdue for disciplinary action from his employer, the voting public.

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💯

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Excellent post. Thankyou Dr Gary Parvinda for honouring your obligations as a physician and standing up to what would seem to be bullying by the 'powers that be'.

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Kia kaha, Gary. Keep up your wonderful and brave efforts on behalf of staff and patients in your district.

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For your valiance in the face of bullying etc. tactics you deserve an annual subscription from me!

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Always happy to help! Ngā mihi, Sarah

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Thank you Gary for the excellent and informative column and for all of the research you put in ! The information is so important and needs to be shared widely!

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I agree with your analysis of the right you, and all of us have to speak freely about important matters which we believe need to see the light of day. NDAs and other ‘agreements’ are often used to shut down people who others don’t want revealing issues with the public sector - not just in health. Well done. Keep speaking up. I may not agree with everything you say but only by respectfully debating and thinking about issues can we come to agreement. Scoundrels close down debate to silence is. Jacinda Adern et al also recent examples of this practice. Freedom dies in darkness.

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Hi Baden, thanks for your comment and please let me know what aspects you don't agree with.

Always happy to learn from thoughtful people.

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Keep going Gary. I have a bit of experience in the health sector, and public sector more broadly. Always conscious though that the observer is not the same as the object observed. I think I have learned when my knowledge is limited and thus enjoy others’ knowledge and observations. Keep up your good work on our behalf. Best wishes

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That’s ’silence us’.

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Thank you for researching this and articulating it so succinctly. You’re a bloody hero. As a retired health professional I hope and pray your words will empower others to speak out and act 🙏

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wonderful to see this Dr Payinda. Transparency and having the courage to speak out in this current murky coalition government is even more important than ever.

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Keep speaking up Gary, we need you!

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👍

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Dear Gary, what a wonderful, informative column you have written today! Thank you for your courage and stamina! Keep up the good work -we need more like You to fight on our behalf!!

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Thank you for speaking up - democracy withers in the shadows, and with it the very things that keep us safe and healthy. Both this message and your analysis deserves a wide audience.

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Thank you for suchba thorough article and for speaking out. So grateful for professional people who do so.

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Hi Gary, You are doing a great job on X! Keep up the good work! The amount of work undertaken to get the Smokefree and Tobacco Control laws and policies in place was immense and slow-going due to Big Tobacco and Big Pharma's stakeholder and political lobbying. Despite public support, our governments have dragged their feet. However, this National Coalition Government's rollback of Smokefree Laws and tax breaks for Big Vape signal that the health of New Zealanders in low economic circumstances is not a priority. I believe the health system is being deliberately undermined for privatisation.

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