Budget 2022 to be a whopper, with Grant Robertson saying he'll allocate a record sum to support the Government's health reforms

The Government needs to urgently establish quotas for number of visas issued to healthcare workers as a proportion of the total number to ensure we aren't digging ourselves further into a hole here by bringing in more consumers of healthcare than those working in the sector.

At least while overpaid bureaucrats sipping on lattes in their cushy Wellington offices figure out how to train more nurses locally.

Wife works in the medical system. With the amount of nursing staff waiting to exit to Aussie I agree, we run the risk of loosing capability in the overall system. Another friend at ADHB indicated they are 40 nurses short now. What will happen when it 80 short...or more?

The government need to address the cost of living, with the elephant in the room being housing. Why bother staying when you can only just afford to put a roof over your head renting? I don't blame the exodus to Australia. Fix the housing market and you'll go a long way to solving the brain drain.

The Nurse's association must be in somebody's back pocket.  The primary focus of their magazine is Maori promo, not work issues.

The Police, fire, nor teachers would put up with the pay and working conditions (and Police and Fire have no pre entry quals).

But who cares...plenty of cheap imports to bring in to undermine the locals.

All that extra budget is paid for by the taxpayers, including those taxpayers that look after their health. I say tax the bejesus out of the obviously unhealthy foods and drinks to go some way to paying for the downstream health costs they incur and to encourage a better diet.

But that won't happen until we ban corporate donations to politicians. 

Fun fact the obese might live longer than those on the other side of the scale but it is the elderly who cost the most and if you were not aware the elderly (fit, thin or not) who receive the largest and most expensive benefits of the social system. If you want to live long then you too will be taking a greater share of money than those who are younger. Even sadder it is those who are working in hard labour jobs in their youth who need the most joint support costs through the health system and are the most likely to be exposed to toxins and carcinogens. Those who are seen as the fittest are often those who cost the most or are you ignorant of what befalls most professional sports players. Permanent brain damage needing long term medical support can be the least of their worries. A tragedy though still to be sure. If you need more evidence just take a look at ACCs support costs for which not all, and often not most work related damage is covered.

That's the key alright... we don't need more management and bureaucracy, but, front line staff, equipment and beds and theatres

I suspect a lion's share of the beefed up public budgets is actually soaked up by consulting firms, contractors, equity and comms advisors, headhunters, etc.

The headcount at the Department of PM and Cabinet alone grew 78% in 2021 compared to 2020.  

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/446923/govt-agency-recruitment-hurt…

A major recruitment firm named "Talent Acquisition Specialist" as a top-5 in-demand skill in Wellington.

The money has been sucked up by the DHB's which are on life support and good riddance to them. Here's a slice of history: we used to have a really good, "productive" public health system. It was set up in the 1930s and with a few tweaks served us very well until the 1990s when ideologically motivated idiots - led by Alan Gibb - decided that it would be far more "efficient" to impose a competitive corporate structure, c/- the funder/provider split. Introduction of a bunch of CHE's then DHB's, staffed by people without professional skills, operating at a distance from the workers at the coalface. Over the years the DHB's have become little empires. No accountability. More not less bureaucracy and rather expensive as it turned out due to all those fancy new managers, whom the nursing staff hold in contempt. Another failed experiment from the halcyon days of neoliberalism.

spend it here or spend it buying credits overseas. There is no other option. 

No. The cost of getting away from fossil fuels is going to be enormous. This is just the start. 

Unfortunately they have boxed themselves in a corner because they have let work conditions get so bad and pay so poor. Now if they increase wages then nurses work less hours. 

It's like the train hasn't even left the station yet and you can already see the train wreck unfolding in slow motion.....

You forgot to mention that  there'll be  Financials, patient management, payroll/HR, building maintenance, inventory, procurement, budgeting and Capex systems for Maori as well

I think the majority of hospitals in NZ are likened to third world countries as far as the infrastructure is concerned. Trying to keep Covid out of the country was the only way to deal with it or the health system would have absolutely crashed.

Is there a solution? I really see how.  Not one NZ can afford anyway. Look at America. Arguably one of the more advanced in ICU bed availability and top of the line medical treatment in the world, with 800,000 plus dead form Covid??? Also one of the most expensive systems for the citizens as it is 'pay your own way'. Take it private?? An example of a health Ins policy  in America costs about $12,000.00 a year for an individual 60 odd years of age, with a $7000 deductible to pay before any insurance kicks in. Because NZ health is primarily funded by taxpayer dollars, if NZ wants to improve its woefully underfunded medical infrastructure and industry employment issues it will need an increase in taxes to pay for it, it doesn't come out of 'your right' or thin air. You can already hear the screams against more taxes. "We want better health care but we don't want to pay for it" crowd.

Unless you count in the sheep and cattle paying taxes ( on top of the FART tax of course) there is no solution for NZ. It will just have to struggle along. Stay away from the likes of KFC and cross your fingers.

Added to the grandkids' bar tab, of course  like everything else these past 2 years....

Treasury expects the economy to perform more strongly than it thought it would back in May when it last did its forecasts. Hence, it reckons its tax take from existing taxes will be higher. 

Inflationary bracket creep, so I guess you are right. Apparently they will be back to surplus in 2023. 

well we were supposed to get 1.9B -- but virtually none of that has materialised --  esepciallu in front line services -- lots of MOH jobs in wellignton and the like though -- consultations etc  but nothing to the front line hardly

Best of luck with your treatment - it is a shame that you've had to fund this yourself. I do worry that any major reforms of Pharmac could throw the baby out with the bathwater - I do believe they do a good job achieving good prices through collective bargaining and the difficult job of allocating resources. As you say, the real issue is that there isn't enough money in the budget. 

Sorry the hear that. It is clearly a funding shortfall. NZ is towing a massive amount of non productive people, and they cost tax dollers. Add to that the productive are getting taxed heavily already, and squeezed out of the security of owning a house by unproductive debt speculation, real tax payers are driven to look at options. Not hard to see why so many leveraged up on residential tax free gains to avoid paying income tax. Note - this was ultimately a very selfish act that has done nothing but make things worse, and is driving a generation of much needed future tax payers overseas.

The last couple of Govt's have done nothing but support this by protecting housing from a reset to avoid upsetting the bank profit strangulation of the NZ economy.

I wish you well and a steady recovery. Sadly this is all too true a problem for many. With lives cut short in their 20s while they could live normal long lives with treatment and see children married but instead we spend a far greater amount to fund medicines that have little to no effect and cost the price of a softdrink in a supermarket without subsidy. We do not have priorities right and instead of funding based on need and effects to life we fund on a bias of politicians and mollifying the masses with minor trinkets. Nothing gets changed until someone of fame gets a disease and only then does their individual treatment get funded while everyone else is ignored. Givealittle should be ashamed it has by and large turned life into a popularity competition which most of those dying who could be saved an extra 40+ years learn how much their lives don't matter and are not valued by others around them. Since we do not have the coroner resources many deaths that are not of natural causes get past over and ignored because of bias. I lost 2 friends and 3 family members in the past few years who could still be alive but died due to lack of medical care, even one who had just got married months. All denied investigations. The reason given a bias against them. There is no justice, health or fairness in the medical system. Just more layers of politics and harm and to have to legally fight to survive it is a battle in itself. You do not see them in the media though. Because their lives have been truly made valueless to the popularity channels. Easily done once they are dead far before their time.

Not good. My auntie is currently in the same boat. Something like 40k every 3 months.