New Zealand Health and Disability Sector Overview

Date of publication: July 2003

ISBN 0-478-25669-8 (Book)
ISBN 0-478-25670-1 (Website)
HP 3660

Introduction
This document aims to give a general overview of the New Zealand health and disability sector. It provides brief information about:

• New Zealand and the demographics of the population

• the structure of the health and disability sector

• the financing of health and disability services and expenditure within the sector

• some health and disability workforce statistics and issues facing the workforce

• the infrastructure for gathering and managing information in the health and disability sector

• the health and disability status of New Zealanders

• important health outcome measures.
  
  

Key points to note

• New Zealand is a small country in which the majority of the population live in cities and the minority are widely dispersed in rural areas.

• Over the last decade there has been a general increase in the number of health professionals, including the numbers of doctors and nurses, although there are still shortages in some areas.

• Expenditure on health in real terms has risen consistently over the last decade.

• Health expenditure as a proportion of GDP is similar to that in most other OECD countries.

• Life expectancy has risen over the last half century. However, there remain disparities in life expectancy based on ethnic and socioeconomic differences.

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New Zealand Health and Disability Sector Overview July 2003 (PDF, 223 kB)

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Related information

New Zealand Health and Disability Sector Directory - the Organisations (August 2002)

New Zealand Health and Disability Sector Directory

New Zealand's Health and Disability System