Opinion: Government's new primary care funding formula ignores expert advice, says Dr David Galler

Dr David Galler says the Government's overhaul of primary care funding has resulted in a weaker funding model after removing ethnicity as one of the recognised indicators of health need.

In an opinion piece published in the New Zealand Herald, Dr Galler writes that the revised formula departs from recommendations made by the Government-commissioned Sapere review, which advised that funding should take into account age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic deprivation and morbidity.

He says removing ethnicity means the formula no longer reflects well-established evidence about where health need is greatest.

"By excluding ethnicity, the funding formula fails to properly reflect the underlying patterns of health need. As a result, we are left with an inferior formula because it does not take account of the measured health needs of Māori and Pacific families and communities and flies in the face of the fact that in epidemiological terms, ethnicity is one of the best indicators of need for healthcare."

Dr Galler also questions the scale of the Government's investment in primary care, noting that much of the announced funding comes from existing hospital budgets rather than representing new investment across the health system.

His comments sit alongside Kaitiaki Hauora's recent research, commissioned from economists Dr Bill Rosenberg and Dr Jackie Cumming, which found New Zealand's public health system continues to face a substantial long-term funding shortfall compared with similar OECD countries.

Evidence-based funding is one of the principles underpinning Kaitiaki Hauora's call for a health system that is properly funded, honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and remains publicly provided for everyone who needs it.

That's why we continue to call on the Government to:

• Fund public health properly – so everyone gets care when they need it.

• Honour Te Tiriti – ensuring Māori lead on equity in the health system.

• Keep healthcare public – so care stays for people, not profit.

Read Dr David Galler's full opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald.