NZs health system $1 billion worse off than six years ago

NZs health system $1 billion worse off than six years ago; $220 per kiwi

The Council of Trade Unions has completed a detailed analysis of the 2015 Health Budget and estimates that our public health system will be $1 billion worse off than it was six years ago.

“This year we estimate a funding shortfall of $245 million in the Health budget for the coming year. This follows five years of underfunding based on what was needed to cover increasing costs, demographic changes and new policy initiatives,” says CTU economist Bill Rosenberg.

“Between the 2009/10 and budgeted 2015/16 financial years, we estimate that the annual health budgets shortfalls have accumulated to over $1 billion. That’s around $220 for every man, woman and child in New Zealand.”

“Every year new policy initiatives are announced, such as this year’s funding for hospice services and last year’s announcement of free primary care for the under-13s but the funding for these is in effect being taken from other services.”

“This means that many New Zealanders will find it harder and harder to get the care they need when they need it.”

“The Government’s overall priority of reducing expenditure and policies such as the planned tax cuts are in effect being paid for in New Zealanders’ health services and other public services,” says Rosenberg.

ENDS

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