ACT promises to slash health boards

The ACT Party has promised amajor health overhaul if it wins big in the election, saying it would like to slash the number of district health boards from 20 to six. Leader David Seymour said this would cut bureaucracy and save money. Seymour also said an independent reviewof Pharmac would lead tomore timely and transparent decisions. ‘‘The Pharmac model and operating frame work was set up 27 years ago and there have been no material changes to it since,’’ Seymour said. ‘‘Pharmac has played an important role in managing and restraining government spending on medicines, particularly in bulk buying mass-use drugs and staying within budget. But the world of medicines has changed, and a rapid flow of highly sophisticated, costly, new generation medicines is transforming patient outcomes.’’ ACT also touted a standalone mental health agency that would allow patients to choose between a range of providers.