12 May 2020 – Government provide $4 Billion support to health delivery to clear backlog

Type of Intervention: Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Health
Intervention Categories: Finance policy and financial aid; Financial aid to health services
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Lead People/Agency: Min Health / District Health Boards

Overview: Government announced the biggest ever increase in funding for district health boards, as well as additional funding to support DHBs to deliver more services, more surgeries, more procedures, radiology scans, and specialist appointments to help clear the COVID-19 backlog. Investing over $4 billion more into our health system, because the lesson from COVID is that we need to be prepared and that a strong health response is the best way to protect jobs and, of course, ultimately be in a position to get our economy moving again as well.
Full details here: https://covid19.govt.nz/latest-updates/daily-covid-19-media-conference-12-may/transcript-of-daily-media-conference-12-may/

Type of Justification: Perception of an increased threat, Economic Stimulus
Source of Evidence or Justification: National – government, medical associations
Evidence/Justification: citing “the lesson from COVID is that we need to be prepared and that a strong health response is the best way to protect jobs”