Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay has welcomed a funding increase of $31 million for the Southern District Health Board as part of Budget 2017.
Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has announced that the Southern DHB will receive an extra $31 million in new money this year, taking the DHB’s total funding to $914 million for 2017/18. That’s an extra $223 million in funding over the past nine years.
“This increases the DHB’s total allocation to a record level and will help people living in Clutha-Southland get more of the health services they need,” Mr Barclay says.
“Making sure we have access to quality health services in the South is a top priority for me. I regularly meet with Southern DHB chief executive officer Chris Fleming, commissioner Kathy Grant and deputy commissioners Graham Crombie and Richard Thomson and my team and I spend a lot of time advocating on behalf of individuals who need assistance in navigating the Health system.
“A priority of mine has been bringing Minister Coleman to the Clutha-Southland electorate to ensure the views of our smaller rural centres are heard and it’s been great to get him here three times over the past two-and-a-half years.
“After running in deficit for nearly all its years, the Southern DHB is on track to balance while increasing services.”
Other Budget 2017 highlights for Health:
- $38.5 million of new operating funding over four years to further support the staged implementation of the national bowel screening programme. The additional funding will support the roll-out to Southern DHB during 2017/18.
- $59.2 million to ensure all road ambulance call outs are double crewed. For Otago and Southland, double crewing will create 31 more paramedic and emergency medical roles over the next four years.
- $8m pay rise for community-based midwives, equates to a 6% pay rise and comes into effect on 1 July 2017.
- $2 billion pay equity settlement to give 55,000 aged care workers a pay increase of 15 to 50 per cent.
- $224 million over four years for mental health services, including $124 million for innovative new approaches.
- $60 million more for Pharmac to access new medicines for Kiwis that need them.
- $200 million to maintain and improve disability support services.