After the debacle of New Right policies in new Zealand, change
is on the way...

From: Sid Shniad <[log in to unmask]>

THE EVENING POST (New Zealand)    2 AUGUST 2000

Labour to abolish market-led health model

Health Minister Annette King today unveiled the Government's
health reform legislation, promising to restore public
confidence in the health system by abolishing the
market-driven model.

"This is a day that we've worked towards for eight months
since we became government; it is an honouring of a commitment
that we made to the electorate not in one election but in
three elections," Mrs King said ahead of the legislation being
tabled in Parliament today.

"(It was) a commitment that we were going to restore a New
Zealand public health service that was based on co-operation
and collaboration, that we were going to replace the current
commercial and competitive model, that we were going to ensure
that local communities once again had a say in the running of
health services, and that we were going to focus on improving
people's health as the fundamental role of a health
service."

The New Zealand Public Health and Disability Bill would
dismantle the 23 existing Hospital and Health Service boards,
and would replace them with 21 elected boards by late 2001.

It would also disestablish the Health Funding Authority, whose
functions would be absorbed by the Ministry of Health, and
would clear the way for most health funding to be handed
directly to district health boards.

That wouldn't happen, however, until at least July 2002, or
later for some boards.

The legislation would require boards to develop plans for
improving the health of people in their region, in line with a
National Health Strategy. This would set goals in key areas
such as obesity, diabetes, immunisation, cancer and Maori
health.

District health boards would be established as Crown entities
and would have up to 11 members - seven elected and up to four
appointed by the Minister. Each board would be required to
have at least two Maori members, with as many as six required
in areas where there is a high Maori population.

Their meetings would be open to the public, like those of the
old area health boards, which were established by the last
Labour Government then disestablished by National after it
took office in 1991.

Hospital and Health Service (formerly crown health enterprise)
board meetings weren't open and their members were appointed
as directors.

While most funding would be handled at district health board
level, some services - such as national screening programmes
or Plunket - would still be funded nationally.

The first board elections would coincide with local government
elections next year and the single, transferable voting system
would be used - a different form of achieving proportional
representation to MMP - to ensure a more "representative"
board, Mrs King said.

The Bill would allow the establishment of a health workforce
advisory committee to advise the Government on long-term
staffing needs. Currently, the health sector faced a shortage
of vital staff, including nurses.

It would establish mortality review committees to look at
topics such as child and maternal mortality.

For the first time in social legislation, the Government has
included a clause stating its commitment to the Treaty of
Waitangi, which Mrs King conceded today carried legal risks.

But she said the Government was committed to working in
partnership with Maori and improving their health.

The Bill is to get its first reading in Parliament next week
and will be sent to the health select committee for public
submissions. - NZPA