Cash-strapped district health boards may be in for some financial relief, with Health Minister David Clark announcing changes to government capital charges. "DHBs fund capital charges from their existing budgets, and this can have a significant effect on their operational funding for other services following a major investment,'' Dr Clark said. Canterbury DHB has the largest DHB deficit in the country, in a large part due to capital costs of building new hospital buildings. The Budget included $1.7 billion for capital investment in our hospitals and other health facilities over the next two years. "This also aligns DHBs with government departments which receive direct funding for capital charge costs when the Government makes new investments.'

Source: Otago Daily Times July 07, 2019 21:56 UTC