Collins lashes overhaul

Opposition leader Judith Collins has slammed the Government’s proposed new national health service, saying it is the wrong time, will be too centralised in Wellington and that the new proposed Ma¯ ori Health Authority is a move towards a ‘‘separatist model’’.

‘‘It’s really important that a big focus is put on primary healthcare. [The plan] does not do that, it is setting up a new bureaucracy in a couple of years’ time,’’ Collins said.

‘‘Now is not the time to be restructuring in the middle of a pandemic and an inability to get vaccines out.’’

Collins said that a new mega agency wouldn’t necessarily fix poorly performing DHBs.

‘‘One of the reasons is, if you take organisations that are dysfunctional – and some of the DHBs clearly are – and you add them all together, you end up with one big dysfunctional mess, and that is the problem.’’

She said National was committed to continuing the DHB model, although possibly not in its current form. She said that pointing the finger for health dysfunction at the feet of DHBs misplaced blame.

‘‘I think what is very clear from the pandemic too is how utterly hopeless the Ministry of Health has been in letting us know what is happening. I wouldn’t just blame the DHBs.

‘‘If we think for a moment that there are not issues in Northland that are different from Auckland then we are dreaming.’’

Collins said that the new system was a rehash of a model, under a 1990s National Government, of Regional Health Authorities, which she said failed.

‘‘I’m not sure shifting everything into the bureaucracy in Wellington will make one iota of difference.’’