Future directions in health for the new Government: our health and the public health.
The 'no model' model awaited the invisible hand. However, 'more government' demands more hands-on direction of the health system. To whom will the government turn for advice? The health professionals were excluded from the market experiment because of the concern that they would 'capture the process'. With the change in the political will, some of the most simplistic, fallacious perceptions of New Zealand's society should have less influence on health policy. The new government has the opportunity to re-engage New Zealanders in advancing the health of the nation. Public health specialists have a wealth of information to guide decision-making which deserves wider dissemination and more executive consideration. In personal health care, health professionals have the will to continue innovation but need a system in which their values are respected. One caveat: there is a tendency, whether the approach is 'more market' or 'more government', to try to measure everything and tick every box. When dealing with complex systems which need highly skilled professionals, however, there simply needs to be a high level of trust As when getting on a plane, central planners, like the rest of us, need to understand that sometimes the pilots must 'capture the process' in order to get back on course.
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D006076:Government; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D011634:Public Health