PHOS Top Heavy

The PHO management fee funding increase announced by the Ministry of Health this week is yet another example of money going to pay the fat-cat bureaucrats rather than provide health care for patients, says New Zealand First health spokesperson Pita Paraone.

“The Ministry is renowned for being a bottomless pit into which taxpayer’s money is continuously thrown. The endless management restructuring of the burgeoning health system does nothing to improve the lot of patients in need of care, but does everything to fatten up the bureaucracy.

“The forthcoming investigation into sustainable pricing for PHO management services is something that should have been undertaken during the policy development stages, if in fact that was the process that was followed. Given the fiasco that this system has been from its inception, I question the qualifications of those who dreamt it up.

“In view of the fact that we seem to be stuck with the PHO system for the time being, I call on the Minister of Health to give an assurance that the money that’s currently being sucked up by the bureaucracy will be channeled to the people who she claims to be targeting. From where I’m sitting, it doesn’t seem to be working that way,” said Mr Paraone.

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