No let-up for health

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 5

No let-up for health

By

MARITA VANDENBERG

The Budget has offered no respite for the country’s hospital and area health boards. Radical cost-cutting proposals look set to go ahead. The chairman of the Canterbury Area Health Board, Mr Tom Grigg, said he was naturally disappointed that the Budget has maintained the status quo. “This could have provided an opportunity for the Government to offer some relief, at least for inflation, in the health and hospital service. We’re still looking at cutting $3O million.” ’ Mr Grigg said the Canterbury region usually got about 10 per cent of the

funds granted nationally to hospital boards. This meant the Canterbury Area Health Board would receive $260 million this year — roughly on par with last year’s funding. The board would look to get 10 per cent of the money tagged for implementing recommendations of the Mason and Cartwright reports, he said. Mr Grigg said new regional boundaries meant the Canterbury board’s money would be spread over a wider area. The board now faced some very hard decisions in implementing necessary cost-cutting measures. The Budget had just made it harder.