Speakers
Toni Ashton is a Professor of Health Economics at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests lie in the field of funding and organisation of health systems from an economic perspective. The series of health reforms that have been introduced into New Zealand over the past two decades have been a special focus of her work. She is also interested in the study of comparative health systems and is currently engaged in three international research projects. She is on the editorial board of five international health journals, has been a member of several government working parties and taskforces, and is co-editor of the book “Health and Public Policy in New Zealand.”
Details
New Zealand, like many other countries, is seeking ways of maintaining universal access to a high quality health system whilst containing health spending. Although the government health budget has not (as yet) been cut, the minister is clearly indicating that he expects the sector to “do more with less”. After experimenting with a more competitive regime, the government now seems to be shifting towards the idea that increased collaboration and more central guidance may be both less costly and more effective. These shifts are apparent in a number of recent reforms including: greater regional collaboration in service planning, improving integration of care across service boundaries, national prioritization of health technologies, and group purchasing of medical supplies.