Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Ian Powell
Otaihanga Second Opinion is a regular health systems blog in New Zealand.
Ian Powell is the editor of the health systems blog 'Otaihanga Second Opinion.' He is also a columnist for New Zealand Doctor, occasional columnist for the Sunday Star Times, and contributor to the Victoria University hosted Democracy Project. For over 30 years , until December 2019, he was the Executive Director of Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, the union representing senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
Ian Powell - Latest News [Page 10]
A ‘Good Death’ Is The Issue, Not Euthanasia
Thursday, 15 October 2020, 6:23 am | Ian Powell
By this Saturday evening we should know the result of the euthanasia referendum held in conjunction with both the general election and cannabis referendum. The euthanasia referendum is unusual in that it is binding and legislation already in place should ... More >>
Campaign To Increase Sick Leave Both Timely And Overdue
Monday, 5 October 2020, 8:48 am | Ian Powell
As someone who has been centrally involved in union leadership for over 30 years I have in recent years been increasingly frustrated by the top leadership of the Council of Trade Unions, the peak union body in New Zealand. While the election of ... More >>
Guided Autocracy: Proposed Health System Reforms In NZ
Friday, 2 October 2020, 4:45 pm | Ian Powell
Ian Powell analyses the Simpson report on NZ’s health system and provides an alternative view on the reforms really needed to achieve a people-centered health system for New Zealand. More >>
Fair Pay Agreements Will Challenge General Practice In New Zealand
Thursday, 1 October 2020, 11:16 am | Ian Powell
Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) are strongly promoted by two of the three current coalition government parties (Labour and Greens). They were a feature of Labour’s 2017 election campaign and it was expected that the Employment Relations Act would have been amended ... More >>
Ian Powell: Does Private Healthcare Threaten Public Healthcare In New Zealand?
Wednesday, 23 September 2020, 12:01 pm | Ian Powell
Is the private health system impacting negatively on the public health system? Health commentator Ian Powell evaluates a recent NZ Herald article by Natalie Akoorie (“Public v private healthcare: Moonlighting, skimming, duplication – should NZ do better”), ... More >>
Rip Cording Canterbury
Thursday, 17 September 2020, 4:21 pm | Ian Powell
In my over 30 years working in New Zealand’s health system I never came across the expression ‘rip cord’ even from the most pretentious jargonistic management consultants. However, it has now appeared on the lips and keyboards at the crisis ... More >>
Perspective Is Critical: Assessing And Improving NZ’s Covid-19 Performance
Friday, 11 September 2020, 5:25 am | Ian Powell
Comparing New Zealand’s elimination approach to the Covid-19 pandemic with the alternatives, the upsides overwhelmingly outweigh the downsides. However, there is much more our ‘liberal technocrat’ Government could be doing to better manage ... More >>
Perspective Is Critical: Assessing And Improving NZ’s Covid-19 Performance
Thursday, 10 September 2020, 4:37 pm | Ian Powell
Comparing NZ’s elimination approach to Covid-19 with the alternatives, the upsides overwhelmingly outweigh the downsides. However, there is more we could be doing to make our system more resilient. More >>
National’s Hospital Rebuild Commitment Lacks Rigour
Wednesday, 9 September 2020, 6:32 pm | Ian Powell
On the election hustings in Hastings current National Party leader Judith Collins committed a National led government to investing between $400 to $500 million in a much needed upgrade to Hawke’s Bay Hospital. The focus would be on the main building ... More >>
Correct Media Analysis Followed By Incorrect Conclusion
Tuesday, 8 September 2020, 4:39 pm | Ian Powell
On 5 September the only New Zealand owned national mainstream print and online media outlet Stuff published an editorial on the toxic relationship between the Ministry of Health and Canterbury District Health Board . As well as online it was also published ... More >>
Unravelling Truths In Canterbury District Health Board Leadership Meltdown Scandal
Monday, 24 August 2020, 6:56 pm | Ian Powell
The more debate continues over a scandal, the more inconvenient truths unravel. The meltdown of the executive leadership (senior management) team at Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is no exception to this truism. It is now clear that a decision ... More >>
New International Covid-19 Data Revealing
Saturday, 22 August 2020, 5:42 pm | Ian Powell
Since Covid-19 hit the shores of New Zealand in what seems an eternity ago I have faithfully accessed the World Health Organisation’s website for their daily country updates. This has been useful because you can see for each country the confirmed ... More >>
Funding Health Systems After Natural Disasters
Wednesday, 19 August 2020, 4:12 pm | Ian Powell
Had it not been for a fatally wrong political decision by former New Zealand Minister of Health Tony Ryall and the National led government over how best to fund the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) following the devastating Christchurch earthquake in ... More >>
Funding Health Systems After Natural Disasters
Tuesday, 18 August 2020, 2:57 pm | Ian Powell
Had it not been for a fatally wrong political decision by former New Zealand Minister of Health Tony Ryall and the National led government over how best to fund the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) following the devastating Christchurch earthquake in ... More >>
Cuba’s Fight Against Covid-19 Is Impressive, Even Compared To NZ’s
Wednesday, 22 July 2020, 7:06 pm | Ian Powell
Health commentator Ian Powell – formerly the Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – visited Cuba earlier this year, learning about their health system, and says the country has now done extremely well in combating ... More >>
Was Woodhouse Patient Confidentiality Breach Complicity The Tipping Point For Muller’s Resignation?
Tuesday, 14 July 2020, 11:27 am | Ian Powell
Was the Woodhouse patient confidentiality breach complicity the tipping point for Muller’s resignation? This Tuesday morning’s shock resignation of Todd Muller after only 53 days as leader of the National Party following his successful but close ... More >>
Beware Babylon Tale
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 11:47 am | Ian Powell
I recall in the early years of my employment as Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, a remarkably astute specialist (and also Chair of the NZ Medical Association at the time), Dr Alister Scott, telling me that specialists ... More >>
Ian Powell: Should DHBs Be The Providers Of Rest Home Care?
Friday, 19 June 2020, 11:16 am | Ian Powell
One of the valuable things about Health & Disability Commission (HDC) decisions (findings) is that interesting experiences are published in a readable manner from which much can be learned. Decisions are specific to their own distinctive circumstances. ... More >>
Ian Powell: Threat To The Right To Strike In DHBs?
Friday, 5 June 2020, 11:24 am | Ian Powell
The right of employees to strike is an internationally recognised employment right that has been a feature of New Zealand’s industrial relations system for over a century, albeit with different constraints and limitations at different times. Although ... More >>
Ian Powell: Let’s Not Over Glorify The Government’s Performance Fighting Covid-19
Saturday, 9 May 2020, 9:42 am | Ian Powell
In assessing the effectiveness of the Government’s response to the Covid-19 threat it is important to distinguish between responsiveness and preparedness. The better the former, the greater the likelihood of glossing over weaknesses in the latter. ... More >>
