About three-quarters of Vote Health (~16 billion) goes to fund the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs). DHBs use this funding to plan, purchase, and provide health services for the population of their district, to ensure effective and efficient services for all of New Zealand. DHBs oversee funding for all levels of care, including primary care such as general practitioners (GPs), nurses, pharmacists, and community health services. They also oversee funding for hospital services, aged care services and services provided by non-government health providers, including Māori and Pacific providers.

The next largest proportion of funding is for health and disability services that are funded at a national level and managed by the Ministry. Other big-ticket items include capital expenditure and funding for the support, oversight, governance, and development of the health and disability sectors, including the Ministry’s operating costs.

New Zealand’s health and disability system also includes private non-governmental providers, and professional and regulatory bodies for all health professionals, including medical and surgical specialties, nurses, and allied health groups. In recent years, the Ministry has been working increasingly with other government social sector agencies to improve health and social sector outcomes (Ministry of Health, 2019).

References:

Ministry of Health. (2019). What we do. Ministry of Health website. Available from: https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/what-we-do.