Innovation is the answer?

 
New Zealand should explore innovative models to deliver healthcare. As a nation, two recent studies suggest New Zealand lags behind many of its peers on several dimensions of innovation, (Andrew,2009)]. To drive the changes New Zealand needs it should invest in health innovation. A single percentage point (1%) of Vote Health costs would provide over $150m of funds to develop, test and roll out new models. In fact, given the global nature of health problems this approach has the potential to create an exciting growth industry for New Zealand.
 
Such innovation would simply be measured by the net reduction or cost avoidance of health costs in New Zealand but could also contribute to increased GDP, further alleviating the strain imposed by the health sector.
 
Only this innovation, potentially the largest driver of all, has the potential to truly close the gap between health costs growth and GDP and in doing so move to curing New Zealand of its addiction to healthcare services.
 
Andrew, J.P., E.S. DeRocco, and A. Taylor, The Innovation Imperative in Manufacturing. 2009, The Boston Consulting Group.