A University of Otago health expert is confident about the potential of the Government’s healthcare reforms which were announced yesterday. 

Health Minister Andrew Little announced yesterday that all DHB’s will be scrapped within three years and be replaced by a national organisation, as well as creating a new Māori Health Authority and a new public health agency.

University of Otago General Practice and Rural Health Head of Department Dr Carol Atmore says she is optimistic and confident about the potential of the new reforms. 

“The creation of localities as the unit of health service delivery across NZ has enormous potential to allow local input into how health services are provided,” Carol says. 

“As with all these things, the devil is in the detail. 

“How will localities be defined? Who will lead then? How will the final locality plans be developed? How will the Health NZ and Māori Health Authority commission service to meet the locality plans? 

“Once these things become clear then the opportunities and fish hooks will become clearer".

As for the situation going forward, Carol says it has the potential to provide better outcomes but needs more increased primary care funding. 

“The system is perfectly designed to produce what we currently have, and what we currently have doesn’t meet the needs on Māori in Aotearoa NZ, and for many rural communities. 

“So I’m optimistic about the potential the new system can bring, but there is a lot of work to be done to bring it to life. 

"The issue of primary care funding needing to be increased has not been addressed yet, and this will be a key part of getting the future system right as well,” Carol says. 

Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean says the healthcare reforms will ‘reduce the voice of local people’.

Meanwhile Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean says the health restructure will “reduce the voice of local people in the planning and decision making of health services in their community”.

“The Government is choosing to take a broad brush approach which lumps regions together, despite their many differences,” Jacqui says.

“There is undoubtedly room for improvement in the current health system across New Zealand so that it can better cope with the demands of a growing and ageing population, but creating a new mega-authority is not the way to go about it.

“Centralisation does not guarantee better access to health services and does not guarantee a more sustainable health system. 

“My fear is that this proposal will bring more bureaucracy and diminish the voice of local people when it comes to the delivery of health services in this area.

“National’s position is clear, in Government we will retain the community and local voice through a DHB framework, and we will repeal a separate Māori Health Authority and work towards a better single integrated health system.”

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