New funding for Bay of Plenty District Health Board in Budget 2017 increases the DHB's total allocation to a record level, says Health Minister Jonathan Coleman.
The Bay of Plenty DHB will receive an extra $26 million in new money this year, taking the board's total funding to $744 million for 2017/18. That's an extra $227 million in funding over the last nine years.
'Continuing to increase access to health services remains this Government's number one funding priority,” says Jonathan.
'DHBs will benefit from an extra $1.76 billion over four years to invest in services, improve access and to meet the demands of a growing population.
'In addition to this, DHBs will also receive their share of $1.54 billion for wage increases for our 55,000 care and disability support workers as part of the care and support pay equity settlement.
'The government's investment in health will reach a record $16.77 billion in 2017/18. An extra $888 million will be invested for 2017/18 - the biggest increase in eleven years, an increase of around $5 billion across our nine budgets.”
The extra health funding also includes:
- $205 million for disability support services. This includes $27 million which will go to the Enabling Good Lives programme.
- $60 million for Pharmac to provide more access to new medicines.
- $52.3 million for emergency ambulance services.
- $38.5 million to continue the roll-out of the bowel screening programme.
- $100 million through the Budget 2017 Social Investment Package for innovative new mental health services.
2 comments
Health spending
Posted on 04-06-2017 14:25 | By socantor01
What is wrong with the health industry? It costs more and more each year just to stand still. Are there no economies of scale? Where does the money go to? Is the industry trying to keep costs down? I don't mean the DHBs - they have a hard enough job now. It's the voracious industry itself which is the problem. If expenditure keeps on increasing at the current rate, half of our taxes will be needed to maintain it in seven years.
Where does the money go you ask?
Posted on 04-06-2017 16:31 | By Papamoaner
A few years ago I had carpal tunnel surgery on my wrist. The surgeon's fee was, as I can best recall, between two and three $grand. The entire process took less than fifteen minutes. Because anaesthesia was local, I was able to chat to the surgeon, a friendly fellow who told me I was the first of 13 carpal tunnels he would be doing that day. Do the arithmetic. Good money if you can get it. Meanwhile, nurses are paid peanuts and go home exhausted.
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