Focus the health system more on prevention, rather than treatment

NZ First says it will give the health system a more preventative focus, rather than pouring all its effort and budget into treatment.

The policy, ‘Make NZ Healthy’, would lift spending in areas such as promoting proper nutrition and early interventions to prevent chronic illnesses developing.

“A small proportion of what we currently spend treating established disease could fund serious independent research into whether inexpensive nutritional interventions can help prevent diseases developing or progressing in the first place,” it says.

“If it reduces diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental illness, infection or hospital admissions by even a modest amount, the return will dwarf the investment.”