Health system reform bill reaches the House

A bill to provide the framework for the country’s new national health system is now before Parliament.

The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill is intended to underpin the health reforms and establish both Health New Zealand and the Ma¯ ori Health Authority.

Health Minister Andrew Little called it ‘‘an exciting day’’ in the step towards a better health system, saying the bill provided a real opportunity to address inequities that plagued the current district health board system.

‘‘For too long, the kind of healthcare you receive has depended on where you live, and our health system has been about trying to treat people in hospitals for conditions that could have, and should have, been dealt with sooner.’’

He said the bill set up the framework for a national health system, focused on the Crown’s obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and ensured a transparent and accountable system, such as establishing a health charter that would govern the workforce.

Little and associate health ministers Peeni Henare, Ayesha Verrall and Aupito William Sio, discussed the bill via a Zoom call, which close to 2000 people tuned into.

‘‘Above all it’s about getting greater and better equity for all,’’ Little said.

It is almost a year since the Government announced that it would abolish all 20 district health boards and create Health NZ as a single organisation, in a sweeping plan to centralise the country’s fragmented healthcare system and end the ‘‘postcode lottery’’ of care.

Henare noted that the bill required the establishment of a Hauroa Maori advisory committee and formally recognised iwi health boards for the first time. ‘‘These changes will transform Ma¯ ori health.’’

Experiences with the health system stopped many Ma¯ ori going to the doctor when they should, and this cost lives, Henare said.

‘‘These changes recognise the role of Iwi-Ma¯ori Partnership Boards, and that Ma¯ ori should be able to exercise tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake when it comes to planning and decision-making for health services at a local levels.’’

Sio, also the Minister for Pacific Peoples, said the framework included a new requirement for a national strategy for Pacific health.

The legislation also establishes an expanded Public Health Agency within the Ministry of Health to lead public health strategy, as well as an expert advisory committee on public health.

The bill will have full select committee consideration, is expected to be passed next year, and will come into effect on July 1.