All of New Zealand's 20 district health boards will be replaced by one, single national health body responsible for the running of all hospitals, the Government has revealed. Video / Mark Mitchell
The pandemic saw domestic travel costs run up by the Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Boards plummet by more than $100,000 each.
Both health boards highlighted the Covid-19 pandemic as the biggest contributor to cost reductions during annual review submissions to Parliament's health committee.
The Bay of PlentyDistrict Health Board spent $158,000 less in the 2019/20 financial year than in 2018/19 when domestic travel costs totalled $680,000.
The neighbouring Lakes District Health Board spent about $120,000 less.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board corporate services general manager Owen Wallace and Lakes District Health Board chief executive Nick Saville-Wood were both pleased about the reductions.
"The most common types of costs included as domestic travel are flights, taxis, accommodation and meals," Wallace said.
"The reduction in costs is considered a positive change in that it reflects both deliberate actions to alter the way the DHB interacts with entities around the country and also one which reflects the realities of the Covid-19 environment."
Lakes DHB chief executive Nick Saville-Wood. Photo / Stephen Parker
In the lead up to the drop, domestic travel costs had been increasing for both health boards.
The most common types of costs included flights, taxis, accommodation, and meals.
Saville-Wood said the Lakes District Health Board increases were mainly due to the rising costs of airfares to and from Rotorua and increased taxi fares.
Asked whether he expected the board's future travel costs to remain at the low levels, Saville-Wood said no, however, there would be some readjustment.
RDP_Domestic_Travel_Costsvol2
Wallace said the Bay of Plenty District Health Board aimed to continue to reduce travel where they could due to two factors: cost and the impact on the environment.
"The use of telecommunication technology (including Zoom) has increased in 2020/21 as a result of changed practices," he said.
"This has contributed to domestic travel costs in 2020/21 being below both budgeted levels for this year and actual costs incurred to the same period in 2019/20."
In addition to using telecommunication technology last year, many business-as-usual events and activities across the centre did not go ahead which contributed to the low costs, Wallace said.
Bay of Plenty DHB's Tauranga Hospital. Photo / George Novak
It comes as Health Minister Andrew Little announced all of New Zealand's 20 health boards would be abolished next year.
In their place, a central national body would be erected and placed in charge of running all of the nation's hospitals.
It will be called Health New Zealand and is part of the biggest changes to the country's healthcare system in history.
Health Minister Andrew Little. Photo / RNZ
A new Māori Health authority will also be set up, with the power to commission health services and monitor Māori health, as well as develop policy.
This will all be overseen by the Ministry of Health, which will be "strengthened" by the review.
The major announcements were
• All district health boards would be replaced by one national health body, Health New Zealand to fund and run the health system; • A new Māori health authority would be created, with power to commission health services; • The Ministry of Health would become an advisory and policy agency only; • A new public health agency would be created within the Ministry of Health.
