New Chief Advisor: Integrated Care

A new Chief Advisor: Integrated Care is to be appointed by the Ministry of Health in what is a first for New Zealand, Health Minister Pete Hodgson and Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley announced today.

The Chief Advisor will be supported by a policy analyst to provide advice on integration of complementary healthcare and conventional medicine, particularly in the area of primary care and chronic condition management.

"A modern health system needs to use all the tools at its disposal to make and keep people healthy and well," Pete Hodgson says.

"There are treatments out there that aren't being used as much as they should, that aren't being utilised by GPs and other health practitioners but for which there exists good evidence of safety and efficacy."

Sue Kedgley says the Green Party secured funding for the new staff in this year's Budget.

Sue Kedgley says integrated healthcare is an approach that focuses on keeping people well rather than just treating them for specific conditions and empowers patients to take responsibility for their health and well-being.

"There is a growing demand for complementary healthcare and for less intrusive, more holistic and patient-centred methods of health treatment," Sue Kedgley says.

"I hope this initiative will result in complementary health practitioners such as osteopaths, acupuncturists and herbalists working alongside doctors and other healthcare practitioners in PHOs so that patients can access the best of both complementary and conventional medicine."

"I also hope it will widen the scope of treatments available to New Zealanders, and help to break down the barriers that have historically divided the complementary and conventional health sectors."

ENDS

© Scoop Media