Russel Norman says his party's new policy to put nurses in all low-decile schools is partly based on his own experiences growing up in Australia.
The Green Party wants to spend $30 million a year on putting 280 nurses into more than 600 schools, who would keep an eye on the health of about 112,000 children. The party says it will save money in the long-term by detecting health issues before they become serious, and help keep kids healthy and learning.
Speaking on Firstline this morning, co-leader Russel Norman said there was a nurse in his primary school.
"We had a nurse at my school when I was growing up, and it was incredibly useful for the kids at my school because it meant that a lot of our health problems got picked up, where they might not have otherwise," says Dr Norman.
- VIDEO: Russel Norman on Firstline
The Government says it is already putting nurses in schools – as well as social workers – in a scheme funded by local DHBs. But Dr Norman says Health Minister Tony Ryall either "doesn't know what's going on, or he's being purposely mischievous".
"It's happening in bits and pieces here and there, but there's no universal coverage of these lower decile primary schools," he says.
"We think it's important that we pick up kids early, because what we found is that if you deal with these kind of challenges, health challenges which then effect [the] ability to learn, if you get them early then you save a lot of money later."
Doctor visits for children up to the age of six are free, but after this the usual fees apply.
"For a lot of families that means they don't take their kids to the doctor, and it means that a lot of health problems go undetected over time, and they can really affect learning," says Dr Norman.
"The basic principle is healthy kids make good learners, so we know that if we look after our kids' health, then they'll become better learners, and that's the best opportunity they can get."
The Government last month announced its food in schools scheme, under pressure from Labour and the Greens, under the assumption that hungry kids aren't good learners. Run by companies Fonterra and Sanitarium, and partly funded by taxpayers, the scheme will see Weet-Bix and milk provided in 570 low decile schools immediately, and every school that wants it from next year.
Dr Norman says the Green Party welcomes the "small-scale" programme.
"Of course, they didn't want to do it – they were just forced to do it by community pressure – but we're pleased to have it anyway.
"But I think in terms of having nurses in schools, the idea there is there are a lot of health issues. Food in schools is good, but it's obviously not going to solve all the health issues in and of itself."
3 News
source: newshub archive
