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Doug Wilson is a medical academic author and our regular correspondent from the other side of 80. Wilson graduated from Otago University 60 years ago, and since then there have been significant changes in life expectancy thanks to medical marvels - yet only some people benefit. The figures remain quite different for Māori and Pacific Islanders.
In terms of medical marvels, Wilson says he’s been associated with, or been witness to, the likes of new treatment for heart attacks, drugs for high blood pressure, strokes and cancer, transplants for kidneys and bone marrow, wonders in joint replacement technology and for your sight and hearing. But there’s also been a lifestyle revolution, with changes in things like diet, exercise, and relationships contributing to longer, healthier lives. Yet in New Zealand poverty remains a barrier.
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