Finance Minister Grant Robertson at the Budget lock-up. / Mark Mitchell
By: Lucy Bennett
Key Points:
More capital for DHBs to fix building issues
Free and cheap GP visits extended to more people
Community midwives to get 8.9 per cent 'catch-up' pay increase
District health boards that have complained of chronic underfunding will receive a massive boost - $549 million each year for the next four years.
That's a total of $2.2 billion of new capital, with up to another $100 million over 10 years set aside for DHBs struggling with deficits.
The Budget also delivers $126m to keep up with demand for elective surgery.
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"We all know DHBs have been starved of funding in recent years. That's put pressure on staff and facilities – and put the squeeze on services delivered to the public," Health Minister David Clark said.
"Budget 2018 allocates $750 million of new capital to tackle some of the most urgent building problems facing hospitals around the country. That represents the biggest capital injection in health in at least the last decade."
Clark said it was the largest DHB funding increase in the last decade but added that rebuilding the health system after nine years of neglect would take sustained investment.
"New Zealanders have been shocked to discover that hospitals in some areas are literally rotting after a decade of neglect and underinvestment by the previous Government. There is a significant backlog of work, which will take more than one Budget to remedy.
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