Top 5 New Zealand healthcare system problems

New Zealand healthcare system problems are related to those of other countries’ health issues.

However, the important thing to be considered should not be the existence of the healthcare system problems but rather a proper understanding of these problems and a clever approach to solving them.

The government of New Zealand through the health ministry works across the health sector to deliver better health outcomes for New Zealanders.

The Ministry leads New Zealand’s health and disability system and has overall responsibility for the management and development of that system.

Introduction to the New Zealand healthcare system problems

Different countries are faced with different challenges in their healthcare system. In New Zealand also there are healthcare system problems, which are what we are going to look at in this article.

That does not change the fact that New Zealand’s healthcare system problems are considerable compared to most countries.

Related: Learn about quality improvement in healthcare

It is known as one of the best in the world while there are still improvements to be made in the healthcare system, the government of New Zealand through its health ministry has worked to make healthcare affordable and accessible.

New Zealand operates on a universal health care system, which implies that the government handles the public healthcare system from its budget to the agency that oversees it.

This allows healthcare to be free to access, as it is funded publicly through taxes and by the national government. It is also to note that the universal health care system has its own pros and cons.

However, the government does not handle the responsibilities for providing health services, leaving this up to regional and private healthcare centers in the system.

Compared to most developed countries, healthcare in New Zealand receives more government funding than private funding. Most of the funding comes from taxation, that’s why the New Zealand healthcare system problems are bearable to most countries’ health systems.

The government also provides financial compensation for injuries. The Accidental Compensation Corporation (ACC) is a government agency that works with the national government to provide financial compensation for injuries during work and other events.

New Zealand healthcare system problems

There are some challenges that are being faced by the New Zealand healthcare system; however, knowing these problems will give a better insight into curbing them.

Below are some of the New Zealand healthcare system problems;

• Chronic diseases and communicable diseases
• Aging population
• Health care costs overwhelm government budgets
• Healthcare may raise taxes
• Insufficient medical technology
• Geographical disparity

Chronic and communicable diseases among the New Zealand healthcare system problems

Among the New Zealand healthcare system problems is the issue of chronic and communicable diseases.

For instance, obesity affects about 10 percent of New Zealand children and 30 percent in the pacific region. Some of New Zealand’s population groups do not benefit from the health and disability system as much as others.

Disabled people generally experience worse health than the rest of the population. 29% of disabled people rated their health as fair or poor compared with only 4% of non-disabled people.

Aging population among the New Zealand healthcare system problems

This is a serious challenge facing most healthcare systems globally because people must grow old and that will stress the operation of the health system.

This is good for individuals and their families, but it does mean social and health services will have to adapt, and it challenges the health system to find ways of providing services that are still affordable and convenient for the aged.

Keeping an older person healthy and independent can involve more health and social services than are needed for younger people. Older people are also more likely to have a disability and to have more than one health condition.

Health care costs overwhelm government budgets among the New Zealand healthcare system problems

These above challenges may raise the government budget in order to meet up to the health care cost.

This is a serious challenge to the development of other sectors because the monetary budget which may be used for other things will be channeled to the healthcare system in order to meet the health care demand.

Healthcare may raise taxes among the New Zealand healthcare system problems

Since the healthcare system is universal as earlier stated, an increase in taxation will be imposed on the citizens in order to have a smooth running healthcare system.

This is also a general challenge faced by most countries with a universal healthcare system.

Insufficient medical technology among the New Zealand healthcare system problems

The New Zealand healthcare system problems would not be complete when the shortage of medical technology and equipment is not stated. This challenge is pronounced because the government is overwhelmed with other problems that need an immediate response.

The geographical disparity among the New Zealand healthcare system problems

Though New Zealand has access to all its region there is still unequal distribution of the merits arising from the health sector.

Geographical disparities in health between Maoris and non-Maoris have been evident for all of the colonial history of New Zealand.

Explanations for these differences involve a complex mix of components associated with socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, availability of health care, and discrimination according to Ellison.

Approaches by the New Zealand government in solving some of these problems

In the face of the ranging healthcare challenges, the New Zealand government through its health ministry is not relenting in making sure that the health system stands uprightly in its operations and giving the people standard health care  which is affordable and convenient through;

The health services with a strong focus on primary care and a widely supported focus on wellness

An outstanding unique public health and no-fault accident compensation system, which serves the whole population throughout their lives

• A publicly-funded, universal health system with a committed and highly trained workforce
• A strong desire for health and social services to work better together
• A growing best practice evidence base developed through research
• The Māori and Pacific health providers, connected to their communities and modeling integrated approaches to health
• The local decision-makers in district health boards (DHBs) who are well-positioned to respond to community needs and integrate services

Conclusion on the New Zealand healthcare system problems

The challenges faced by the New Zealand healthcare system are not limited to the ones above. However, these issues not listed here are directly or indirectly linked to the ones here.

Amidst the healthcare system problems, New Zealand still has one of the best healthcare functions and effective systems.

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