Leaders debate future of NZ healthcare

Media Release

June 27, 2011

Leaders debate future of NZ healthcare

Around 280 leading health sector figures from New Zealand and overseas will meet in Auckland at a conference on June 28 and 29 to discuss how best to tackle the challenges of an ageing population and rising quality demands in the future.

The Medical Technology Association of New Zealand is hosting the inaugural NZ Healthcare Congress “Bold Ambitions: The future of Healthcare in New Zealand”.

“Already, we have seen the health sector come under pressure from increasing demands and belt-tightening as a result of the recession. With the ageing population these pressures will only increase. It’s time to develop a new vision for healthcare into the future – and it’s a vision built on better use of technology,” comments MTANZ chief executive Faye Sumner.

Sumner says the New Zealand population will look very different by 2050.

“Think wheelchairs instead of pushchairs, rest homes instead of kindergartens,” she says.

Projections suggest that by 2050, 26.2 percent of the population in New Zealand will be over 65 – more than double the current 12.8 percent. Life expectancy from birth will increase to 86.5 years for females and 82.5 years for males (Statistics New Zealand, 2004a).

Ms Sumner says New Zealand healthcare workers are also ageing – the average age of a nurse is now 48 years and a general practitioner is 47 years.

“We believe that, for example, technologies such as telemedicine, less invasive surgery, and computerised diagnostic and monitoring systems can deliver better outcomes for patients and make better use of scarce healthcare staff,” says Ms Sumner.

“Healthcare costs cannot continue to balloon out of control – we must find efficiencies but ensure that quality and safety are not compromised. New Zealand has a promising medical device manufacturing export industry that can deliver millions of dollars to the economy but it needs to be supported domestically in order to reach its potential,” she adds.

www.mtanz.org.nz

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