New Zealand Medical Journal: Health, the economy and the future of public healthcare

Performance first: why the economic success of our nation is dependent on the health of our people and why privatisation by stealth won’t fix New Zealand’s health system.

A letter by Dr David Galler and Louisa Wall, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, looks at how the health of our people shapes the strength of our economy.

It says that when large numbers of people can’t access healthcare, the consequences go well beyond individual patients and whānau. It affects how communities function and how the country performs economically.

It also raises concerns about the quiet expansion of private healthcare as pressure grows in the public system. International experience shows that fragmented systems often cost more overall and deepen inequities rather than solving them.

Instead, Dr David and Louisa call for sustained investment in the public health system, the workforce that keeps it running and policies that prevent illness in the first place.

You can read the full letter linked here.