Southland News : DHBs and Gumboots

The local’s are talking about two things in Southland today.

1. John Key visited yesterday to open the new drying room (for milk powder) at the Fonterra milk factory at Edendale. While in Southland he also attended the Waimumu Field Days – the Southern version of Mystery Creek - and was given a pair of Skellerup gumboots. A photo of the PM looking at his new gumboots made it into the Southland Times.

2. Thursday’s announcement that the Southland District Health Board voted 7-3 to merge with the Otago DHB is being widely discussed and was the subject of the cartoon in the Southland Times.

Opinions are divided over the decision. My own often expressed view is that New Zealand is too small to have 21 District Heatlh Boards and it is wise to look at rationalising the provision of services to gain efficiencies, particularly at some of the smaller boards.

Otago and Southland DHBs have been sharing many support services for several years, they have been overseen by the same CEO for the last few years and many of Southland’s specialist services are provided by visiting consultants. With a formal merger it should be possible for Southlanders, who have for too long had longer waiting lists in many specialist areas and a heavy reliance on locum doctors, to receive more timely care when it is needed.