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New Zealand
National CoordinatorChris Bossley
Executive OfficerMr Kim Miles
Activities
eposter2007
eposter2008
Update February 2006
The New Zealand Nan has produced a small leaflet intended as a guide to orthopaedic surgeons, and fracture clinic staff to remind them about the possible underlying cause of fractures they treat-Osteoporosis.
This leaflet has been developed as result of the Osteoporosis Awareness Survey carried out in 2003, where it was clearly identified that surgeons quite rightly treat the fracture as presented but often do not consider osteoporosis as a reason for the fracture. The leaflet suggests that one person in a clinic is given the responsibility to ensure fracture patients are referred for checking whether osteoporosis is present (and therefore treated accordingly), to prevent a future fracture.
The leaflet can be downloaded here.
The initial meeting of the National Action Network was held in Wellington on 2000-12-18. Ten organisations were represented. A small executive committee was formed.
A meeting to launch the BJD officially was held at Parliament on 2000-12-05 at the invitation of the minister of health, Mrs Annette King. A letter of official endorsement of the BJD by the government of New Zealand was presented. The gathering was addressed also by the patron of the BJD, Sir Paul Reeves, a previous governor-general, and by a patient representative.
A Special Article on the BJD was published in the NZ Medical Journal (NZ Med J 2001; 114; 120-1) on 23 March 2001, which drew a number of expressions of interest.
In the 2001-02 year some progress has been made towards measuring the burden of musculoskeletal disease in NZ, a task that has proved much more difficult than first thought. A Ministry of Health National Health Survey is just beginning, including a small number of musculoskeletal questions to create a database, which can be further surveyed in detail for analysis. The initial results of the National Health Survey will not be available until 2004.
The National Joint Register is well established and has recorded over 20,000 joint replacements.
Three public road shows have been mounted under the auspices of Aventis and the NZ Arthritis Foundation dealing with arthritis and osteoporosis. These were well attended and their question and answer sessions were especially popular. In addition the "Save Your Bones" and "Move it or Lose it" campaigns continue and in October the "Message in a Bottle" campaign bombarded the minister of health's office with pill bottles containing messages about poor access to newer anti-arthritic drugs. There is a serious administrative problem at a political level in regard to arthritis because it has been placed within the ambit of the Ministry for Disability Issues instead of the Ministry of Health. Arthritis sufferers see their prime problem as a Health problem - if disability ensues it is only as a consequence of the health failure.
The Orthopaedic Association again staged a national Hip Walk to raise money for research.
Also in October New Zealand had the pleasure of a visit from Lars Lidgren who came as a guest lecturer to the Combined New Zealand and Australian Orthopaedic Associations' Meeting in Queenstown where he was most warmly welcomed.
In July 2002 the Countrywomen's Institute made a presentation of a scholarship for research to the Decade of Bone and Joint, a far-sighted recognition of the importance of bone and joint research by this widespread women's community group, a most heartening development in terms of public awareness.
In December 2002 part of the Decade of Bone and Joint executive met with Minister for Disability Issues Ruth Dyson who was most supportive and instructed the Ministry officials to give the Decade as much assistance as possible.
2003-08-18: A report prepared by the NZOA with assistance from the Decade of Bone and Joint 2000–2010, Arthritis New Zealand and Osteoporosis New Zealand:
2004-06-08: Programme being developed to increase joint replacement surgery in New Zealand. The project is developed out of the preparation and publication of the "Ageing of New Zealand" paper from 2003.
NewslettersNewsletter June 2001
Newsletter November 2001
Newsletter May 2002
Newsletter December 2002
Newsletter July 2003
Newsletter September 2004
Newsletter December 2004
OrganisationsACC Healthwise (State accident insurance)
Amputees' Federation of New Zealand
Australasian Faculty of Musculoskeletal Medicine
Aventis Pharma Limited
College and Society of Physiotherapists
Department of Labour: Occupational Safety and Health Service
Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand
Sport and Recreation New Zealand
Injury Prevention Network Aoteoroa New Zealand
Ministry of Health
Arthritis New Zealand
New Zealand Artificial Limb Board
New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists
New Zealand Chiropractic School
New Zealand Chiropractors Association
New Zealand Dietetic Association
New Zealand Nutrition Foundation
New Zealand Orthopaedic Association
New Zealand Pain Society
New Zealand Register of Osteopaths
New Zealand Rheumatology Association
New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists
New Zealand Society of Podiatrists
Osteoporosis New Zealand
Pagets Disease Charitable Trust and Support Group
Wyeth New Zealand Ltd
ContactMr Kim Miles, C/- NZOA, P O Box 7451, Wellington South, New Zealand
Tel. [#64] 4 385 8807 Fax [#64] 4 385 8873 E-mail: kmiles-nzoa@paradise.net.nz
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