Health Post-Pandemic

necessity the mother of intervention?

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided the ultimate stress test of the New Zealand health system, confirming known weaknesses, but also facilitating useful responses and changes. We discovered an effective centre, as well as regional cooperation, and IT enhancements may finally have their day. The financial stress of family doctors revealed our patchwork funding system, and privacy issues in the use of identifiers and matters of jealously guarded scope of practice in the workforce were exercised under pandemic conditions. Hospitals were able to function at 50% capacity, and deficiencies were revealed in the aged care sector. Finally, we avoided gross health inequalities. With a review of the system recently released, this experience may advance the cause of reform.