New Zealand Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health (Manatū Hauora in Māori), formerly the Department of Health from 1903 to 1993, is a department of the New Zealand government. This is the channel through which the government channels its funding for health services, VOTE: Health.

The ministry is overseen by the Minister of Health in the New Zealand government cabinet. The current Minister of Health is Pete Hodgson.

History
The Department of Health was formed in 1903 from the merging of other government departments. Its structure remained relatively static even the 1938 Social Security Act where the New Zealand government took a larger role in health purchasing. The department remained actively involved in policy as opposed to purchasing.

By the 1970s problems had appeared in the health system. The high growth rate in hospital expenditure was occurring at a time when the economy was slowing down. Thus, the government was unable to sustain funding this growth.

This led the health system to undergo a series of changes over a 20 year period from the 1980s. During the 1990s the National government attempted to stream-line the system in a series of reforms such as separating the government purchasing and provision of health care services. During this time the department was renamed as the Ministry of Health.

Current Role
The Labour-Alliance coalition government redefined the role of the Ministry of Health as part of Labour's election promises in the 1999 election.

The separate government health service purchasing entity, the Health Funding Authority, was merged with the Ministry of Health. Critics were anxious as to how the Ministry would perform as a funder, as they commented that the Ministry had in the past only performed as a policy organisation. However, supporters of this move stated that they believed this would make these agencies more accountable.

The Ministry of Health funds public health promotions such as smoking cessation and immunisation programmes, as part of the New Zealand Primary Health Strategy will move towards funding universal access to primary care services for New Zealand citizens. In 2003 the Ministry of Health began forming Primary Health Organisations in an effort to move health care services from fee-for-service arrangements to capitation funding for health professionals who are members of these organisations.

District Health Boards were formed in 2001 as a subsidiary organisation of the Ministry. As of 2005, 21 different District Health Boards (DHBs) exist. These are responsible for hospitals and funding some health provisions in their respective areas. 75% of VOTE: Health goes to the District Health Boards of New Zealand. Funding for these DHBs is allocated according to the Ministry's population-based funding formula. The District Health Boards can be considered much like the board of trustees of a school, some members are elected while others are government-appointed.

External link

 * Ministry of Health