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Posted on 2-12-2002
Auckland
GASP
Sally Lewis, one of the aerial spray evacuees from the current
campaign
against Painted Apple Moth, has formed a health support group
for those
who she sees as having been marginalised by MAF. They have been
meeting
informally since March 2002.
She says she has been deluged with calls from those suffering
severe
adverse health effects from the spray. There is no support available
for
these people, she says. Many have been refused evacuation by
MAF and are
being pressured to sign consent forms which would give MAF doctors
access
to victims' entire medical history and health records normally
held
confidential by a person's GP. She considers this to be an abuse
of
patients' privacy and is recommending that spray victims do
not sign this
form.
Many of those contacting Sally recount disturbing stories of
the way they
have been treated by doctors at Aer Aqua - the medical consultancy
contracted by MAF to provide medical assessment and advice.
Patients
complain of having received no examinations or treatment, instead
they
are often sent for a raft of tests and x-rays and then told
their
symptoms are not spray related. Many have been told their symptoms
are
psychosomatic or due to other causes. They are then sent back
to their
GPs in spite of GPs often having provided letters or certificates
saying
their health has been affected by the spray. Some doctors have
reported a
50% increase in asthma cases. Patients have also reported burning
throats
and eyes, severe skin rashes, vomiting, diarrhoea and persistent
headaches. There have also been some cases of severe anaphylactic
shock.
Other evacuees, including a pregnant woman and her young children,
have
reported instances of being caught outside in the spray due
to
mismanagement of their evacuation by MAF officials. Many of
these people
are now experiencing chronic health effects including severe
diarrhoea
and bleeding from the bowel.
Sally says she has set up her support group in response to the
victimisation of spray sufferers by MAF and believes there is
an urgent
need to provide more funding to help these people out of the
$90 million
given to MAF by the government for the eradication programme.
Sally Lewis, GASP, <bold>antisprayhealthgroup@newzealand.co.nz
Ph: 826-1292
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