Labour to refocus priorities in health

Labour says it will refocus the current national health targets and undertake an independent review of qualification for elective surgery, if elected next month.

District Health Boards are required to report regularly on six national health targets, which include reducing the time spent waiting in emergency departments and performing more elective surgeries.

The other targets range from helping people to quit smoking, boosting immunisation levels in children, reducing wait times for cancer treatment and performing more diabetes checks on at-risk people.

Labour’s health spokeswoman, Annette King, who yesterday released Labour’s full health policy, said the targets were too narrow and did not deal with the root causes of poor health.

‘‘Prevention and early intervention are far more cost-effective than picking up the pieces down the track.’’

Labour would review current targets, and introduce more wideranging reforms measuring DHB performance, to fit eight priority areas ranging from reducing health inequalities to improving the health workforce.

Labour would invest $1 billion every year in vital public services, mainly directed toward health and education.

‘‘We will also undertake an independent review of clinical thresholds for elective surgery which have seen patients having to put up with more pain than ever, before they can access publicly-funded operations,’’ King said.

The number of patients receiving elective surgery rose from 118,000 in 2008 to 158,000 in 2013, Health Minister Tony Ryall has said.

But recent paid research found 280,000 Kiwis met the clinical threshold for elective surgery, but only 110,000 had been formally placed on a waiting list, as at December last year.

In the Budget, Ryall said $110 million would be spent over the next four years to further boost elective surgery numbers.

Yesterday’s release is Labour’s full policy, after it released the centrepiece at its campaign launch last Sunday.

Leader David Cunliffe promised 1.7 million people would be eligible for free doctors’ visits and prescriptions under a Labour-led government.

Ryall yesterday dismissed the policy as an election bribe, which was unaffordable.

‘‘Labour is promising everything to everyone. They know they can’t afford most of their promises as they have conveniently left out almost all of the costings.’’