Of course the Ministry of Health is gagging the Mental Health Foundation

What? Wellington Bureaucrats lashing out at health contract providers using bullshit contract claims to gag criticism?

Who woulda thunk it?

Wellington you say?

Ministry of Health accused of ‘gagging’ Mental Health Foundation

The Mental Health Foundation claims the Ministry of Health is trying to “gag” it.

Foundation CEO Shaun Robinson claims he was told by an official that the foundation wasn’t allowed to criticise the Government since it accepted government money. However, the Ministry of Health says the official concerned has a different recollection of the conversation.

The stoush was sparked by a press release from the foundation, a charity that offers mental health education and seeks to hold the Government to account over its policies.

The February 12 press release addressed a wellbeing study the foundation had commissioned, which reported that 25 per cent of New Zealanders over 18 years old had “poor wellbeing”. In the press release, the foundation said the health minister and prime minister needed to show they were taking action on the He Ara Oranga Mental Health Inquiry recommendations, released in late 2018.

Some two hours later, Robinson received what he considered to be an irate call from Acting Deputy Director-General Mental Health and Addiction, Toni Gutschlag​. Robinson alleges Gutschlag asked why he had gone back on their agreement to a no surprises policy and said that accepting ministry money meant accepting limitations, including not being able to criticise the Government.

Of course the Ministry are gagging criticism, especially over something as sensitive as mental health, because the inaction embarrasses the Prime Minister and Wellington Bureaucrats live for pleasing Jacinda.

It’s an ongoing reminder that the Wellington Bureaucrats are there to look after Wellington Bureaucrats.

Meanwhile hundreds of NZers continue to take their lives, mental health is still the poor bastard cousin in terms of funding and threats to gag criticism is rampant.

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