GUEST BLOG: Bryan Bruce – I welcome the proposal to substantially reduce the number of DHB’s
I welcome the proposal to substantially reduce the number of DHB’s.
Too much public money has been going into management instead of the frontline and there have been several alarmin examples in recent years of inept governance.
I do think an appointment system of board members chosen for they specific expertise would produce better outcomes for taxpayer investment in public health , however I would like to see those appointments being for a fixed contract term of 3 years so that performance is subject to regular review.
I would also hope that a reduced number of boards and better governance would address the current situation where the quality of care you receive in New Zeland can depend on your postcode and also remove the need for a Charity hospitals such as compassionate one in Christchurch.
Bryan Bruce is one of NZs most respected documentary makers and public intellectuals who has tirelessly exposed NZs neoliberal economic settings as the main cause for social issues.
Anything must be better than the competing fragmented empire system we have now.
That the Ministry of Health could not even come close to managing border quarantines for the health of this country is underlining how dysfunctional it is.
Even more scary is I am aware people in the community who are concerned they have symptoms that just might suggest covid19 and have either not been tested upon presenting or at least calling a doctor or cannot make contact with any person on the “covid line” despite more than 40 attempts.
There can be little doubt our health ministry is so not up to the task that the brief break from this disease will be all we can enjoy. I am very worried given the appalling oversight this disease will be back!
but it would tend to go against maori interests to have larger DHBs. relationships have build up over time between local hapu/iwi and DHBs. harder to imagine how hapu/iwi can have a relationship of mana with DHBs that cover such large territories. report expressed a desire to honour rangatiratanga but that sits at local level. centralisation will always dilute influence of hapu/iwi.
is there some other way of diverting money from management to frontline health?