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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 Salaried Medical Salaried Medical Specialists, the union representing senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
Ian Powell - Latest News [Page 8]
Canterbury And Cardiff & Vale: What Some Don’t What To Know About
Saturday, 19 June 2021, 4:52 pm | Ian Powell
The King's Fund is an independent thinktank focussing on the health system in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1897 it is a non-government organisation and charity that actively publishes research and analyses as well as organising conferences and other ... More >>
Slogans And Sound-bytes Don’t Make A Collective Bargaining Strategy; Ask New Zealand’s Nurses
Monday, 14 June 2021, 2:08 pm | Ian Powell
Originally published at https://otaihangasecondopinion.wordpress.com/2021/06/14/slogans-and-sound-bytes-dont-make-a-collective-bargaining-strategy-ask-new-zealands-nurses/ The Labour government’s ‘strategy’ for collective bargaining between district health boards (DHBs) and the various health unions can best be described as a slogan. ... More >>
Ian Powell: Lessons For NZ From Cuba, The Covid-19 Vaccine Powerhouse?
Friday, 11 June 2021, 9:39 am | Ian Powell
What can New Zealand learn from Cuba about fighting Covid-19? Plenty, especially in terms of producing vaccines, according to Health commentator Ian Powell . As the Medical Director for the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Dr Bryan ... More >>
A Fleeting Health System Consensus
Sunday, 23 May 2021, 4:02 pm | Ian Powell
Last week I published in the Victorian University hosted Democracy Project the second part of a two-article series of the escalating clash between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) in the context of the recovery ... More >>
Early Health System Initiatives: Elk City, Saskatchewan And Kurow
Friday, 21 May 2021, 5:15 am | Ian Powell
Last year I read a fascinating article published by the monthly Le Monde Diplomatique on early health system initiatives in the United States’ Elk City and Canada’s Saskatchewan province https://mondediplo.com/2020/08/02populism-expertise . This ... More >>
Improving Income Support Critical For Improving Health System
Sunday, 16 May 2021, 5:42 pm | Ian Powell
Minister of Health Andrew Little claimed that his recently announced health restructuring was bold. But it was only bold in the sense that whiteboard warriors are bold. Sitting behind this embellished claim is the unacknowledged view that structural change drives ... More >>
Pay Freezes, Health Systems And Medical Specialists
Monday, 10 May 2021, 10:50 am | Ian Powell
What has a pay freeze got to do with a universal public health system? Actually quite a lot. Health systems, especially public hospitals which handle the more complex and urgent cases that the rest of the system can’t fix, are by their very nature ... More >>
Pharmac's Welcome Transparency Highlights Need For Real Bold Government Action
Sunday, 2 May 2021, 4:56 pm | Ian Powell
The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (known as Pharmac) is a crown entity that decides, on behalf of New Zealand’s district health boards (DHBs), which medicines and pharmaceutical products are subsidised for use in the community and public hospitals (I use the ... More >>
It’s Just Not Cricket (nor Olympian For That Matter)
Thursday, 29 April 2021, 1:01 pm | Ian Powell
Originally Published at https://otaihangasecondopinion.wordpress.com/2021/04/29/its-just-not-cricket-nor-olympian-for-that-matter/ I’m what’s known as a cricket nut (or cricket tragic as some cruelly say). I played cricket for well over 40 years at school and in Wellington, Christchurch and ... More >>
District Health Board Considers Directly Employing General Practitioners
Thursday, 15 April 2021, 4:52 pm | Ian Powell
Like almost every economically developed country outside the ‘Disunited States’, New Zealand has a universal health system that endeavours to be accessible for all, comprehensive, high quality and affordable. The country is well placed to achieve ... More >>
Health Minister Little Gives Thoughtful Keynote Speech… But
Sunday, 28 March 2021, 5:22 pm | Ian Powell
Last Thursday (25 March) I was interviewed live on Radio New Zealand’s The Panel about a keynote address the previous day by Minister of Health Andrew Little on the implementation of the review of the health and disability system led by Heather Simpson. ... More >>
Very Good Fluoridation Political Call, Dr Verrall
Sunday, 21 March 2021, 2:35 pm | Ian Powell
Infectious diseases specialist Dr Ayesha Verrall was a surprise cabinet appointment being a first-time MP. Despite the rarity she’s not mucking around. This is evidenced by her legislative proposal, as Associate Minister of Health, to shift decision-making ... More >>
Pointer To Government Rethinking On District Health Boards?
Thursday, 18 March 2021, 3:00 pm | Ian Powell
On 4 March I blogged on Otaihanga Second Opinion about recent indications that the Government was rethinking its position on one of the two main pillars of the structural overhaul of New Zealand’s health and disability system recommended by the Heather ... More >>
Health System At Risk By Government Abdicating Leadership Of Simpson Review Implementation To Business Consultants
Sunday, 14 March 2021, 5:51 pm | Ian Powell
The Government is putting the health system at risk by abdicating the leadership duties and responsibilities of its Health Transition Unit to external business consultants. The Unit is based in the Prime Minister’s Department and is responsible for the ... More >>
DHB Deficit Drivers
Sunday, 7 March 2021, 5:54 pm | Ian Powell
On 1 March 2021 Minister of Health Andrew Little was reported by the Otago Daily Times giving Southern District Health Board (SDHB) a stern message over its high deficit level. The Minister’s implied message was clear that SDHB was largely responsible ... More >>
Taking The Threat To New Zealand’s Health System Out Of Simpson
Thursday, 4 March 2021, 4:40 pm | Ian Powell
On 23 February I had a lengthy article on the Heather Simpson review of New Zealand’s health and disability system published online by the Democracy Project . https://democracyproject.nz/2021/02/23/ian-powell-rescuing-simpson-from-simpson/ The essence of my article was that the Simpson review’s proposed major overhaul ... More >>
Reforming The Funding Of District Health Boards
Monday, 1 March 2021, 7:31 am | Ian Powell
There is a compelling case for reforming the way New Zealand’s district health boards (DHBs) are funded starting with two relatively low cost technical measures. DHBs are important because they are responsible for both community and hospital healthcare ... More >>
Public Health System Subsidises Private Health System But!
Thursday, 25 February 2021, 6:41 pm | Ian Powell
The relationship between New Zealand’s public and private health systems has long been a subject of debate, wariness and occasional controversy. Yesterday the results of a University of Otago study of patients who needed public hospital care after ... More >>
Rescuing Simpson From Simpson
Wednesday, 24 February 2021, 10:06 am | Ian Powell
(Originally published at The Democracy Project ) Will the health reforms proposed for the Labour Government make the system better or worse? Health commentator Ian Powell (formerly the Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical ... More >>
Patience Required For Vaccine Supply In New Zealand
Sunday, 31 January 2021, 2:43 pm | Ian Powell
Andrea Vance is a journalist I respect highly and make a point of reading both her columns and more in-depth pieces. I also admire her preparedness to call the government out for failings in the application of our internationally successful elimination ... More >>
