KEY POINTS:
Auckland's three health boards should have their funding roles merged to save money, says one of the tickets chasing seats on the Auckland central board.
But election candidates on the 1Auckland ticket, which is pushing the issue, differ over the degree of merger.
Christopher Diack wants a full amalgamation, in line with the ticket's call for one council to govern the region. This would reduce the number of health board members in the region to a maximum of 11, from potentially 33.
Chris Chambers, a board member who has switched from Citizens & Ratepayers to 1Auckland for this election, wants only the health funding functions merged - the new ticket's collective policy - taking Auckland back to an entity similar to the North Health regional funding authority created by the National Party Government in 1993. Funding involves buying services from hospitals, GPs and other providers.
Dr Chambers said the three boards negotiated to reconcile funding when they cared for one another's patients.
"I think it would save money," he said of merged funding. Many of its benefits would not directly affect patients, although it would address the problem of the Auckland District Health Board being paid too little for some of the high-level health services it provided for patients from other health boards.
"Historically Auckland City patients have suffered because of the demands of providing tertiary services to the region and also national services."
Dr Chambers also advocates having a single trauma hospital for the region: Auckland City Hospital, where he works as an anaesthetist.
Two of the other tickets standing multiple candidates oppose creating a "super-DHB" and the third is wary even of merged funding.
Auckland board chairman Wayne Brown in 2003 suggested regional amalgamation could save $60 million a year.
Counties Manukau and Waitemata have merged many back-office functions since 2000 and all three negotiated the now-failed attempt to install a new provider of community laboratory testing.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Pete Hodgson, who is overseas, said: "He's said in the past he thinks there will be 21 DHBs for a while yet, but things are already changing, with a variety of forms of regional collaboration."
City Vision ADHB candidate Roger Eccles said his ticket supported the rising level of co-operation but opposed creating a "monolith" organisation as the costly change would be disruptive. Having three boards enabled them to respond better to local needs.
C&R candidate Kevin Hicks said his group would look at any proposals to save money on bureaucracy, "but we would have to be very careful about it".
Residents Action Movement organiser Grant Morgan supported co-operation but said three boards were required as the region's health needs were vast.
