Dunne doctors suicide stats | The Jackal

25 Apr 2012

Dunne doctors suicide stats

Yesterday, the NZ Herald reported:

New Zealand's suicide rate declined slightly from 2008 to 2009, but the Mental Health Foundation and the Associate Health Minister agree there is still more work to be done.

The Ministry of Health has released its statistical report Suicide Facts: Deaths and intentional self-harm hospitalisations 2009, the most recent year available.

In total, 506 people died by suicide in New Zealand in 2009 - or 11.2 people per 100,000, down from 11.8 per 100,000 the year before.

Now hang on a second... the Chief Coroner, Judge Neil MacLean released more recent suicide statistics late last year. Unfortunately SPINZ removed this information from their website for some reason?

As the Associate Health Minister, Peter Dunne would have this information available to him.

In total, 506 people died by suicide in New Zealand in 2009 - or 11.2 people per 100,000, down from 11.8 per 100,000 the year before.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said the 2009 rates were 25.5 percent below the peak rate in 1998.

"The declining rate is very encouraging, however, while we are clearly making progress there is still much to do because of the harm and anguish suicide causes for families and communities," Mr Dunne said.

Interesting that they've taken the 1998 suicide rates, which actually peaked at 15.1 per 100,000. When National took over in 2008/2009, the suicide rate per 100,000 people was 12.04.... it has now climbed to 12.65 in 2010/2011, a 5% increase.

"The declining rate is very encouraging, however, while we are clearly making progress there is still much to do because of the harm and anguish suicide causes for families and communities," Mr Dunne said.

"Preventing suicide is everyone's responsibility."

Youth suicides have dropped from 44.1 per 100,000 in 1995 to 29 per 100,000 in 2009, however New Zealand's youth suicide rate remains the highest in the OECD.

Peter Dunne is blatantly lying! The rate of suicides in New Zealand is not declining, it's increasing. He has simply cherry picked certain data and chosen to ignore the Chief Coroner's recent provisional national suicide statistics.

"We expect to be able to release the 2010 figures later this year. Working with more current data will enable us to better target our efforts in addressing suicide.

"As much as possible, we want to know what the problem is; not what the problem was," Mr Dunne said.

I think it's despicable of Peter Dunne to try to manipulate the public concerning suicide statistics... What a cretin!