患者成为医疗系统核心：新法通过强化问责与效率

调以患者为中心的医疗体系改革。该法案——《健康未来（Pae Ora）修正法案（Healthy Futures Amendment Act）》——旨在加强问责机制、减少官僚程序，并确保医疗系统更专注于提升医疗服务质量。

卫生部长 Simeon Brown 表示，这项立法明确规定医疗系统的存在目的是服务患者，并强化责任机制，使整个体系专注于改善健康结果。

Brown指出：“该法案将及时获得优质医疗服务确立为法律核心目标，并要求各医疗机构实现可衡量的成果。”

他说，这项改革是政府在改善医疗系统表现方面的重要举措，回应了过去数年表现不佳的问题。

他批评此前制度“过度偏向行政流程而非患者”，并称旧制度中的健康宪章（Health Charter）甚至没有使用“患者”一词，却多次提及工会。

“新西兰人希望的是及时、高质量的医疗服务，而不是更多的流程和文书工作。这项立法将这一期望写入法律。”

该法案的主要内容包括：

• 确立新的法律宗旨，确保患者能够及时获得高质量医疗服务
• 要求包括 Health New Zealand 在内的所有卫生机构落实政府设定的健康目标
• 废除原有的卫生部门原则及《新西兰健康宪章》，以更清晰、可衡量的结果导向体系取代

Brown表示，这些改革是在纠正一个“失去执行重点”的系统。

他批评前政府取消健康目标、集中决策并削弱问责机制，导致急诊等待时间、手术等待时间及专科服务等待时间普遍恶化。

“我们已经重新恢复健康目标，因为它们能够提升绩效、透明度和问责性，并配合创纪录的医疗投资和对一线医护人员的支持。”

他表示，目前一些指标已出现改善，例如急诊等待时间下降、更多患者更快获得治疗、儿童疫苗接种率提升，同时政府正在投资新医院和基层医疗服务，使民众更容易在更早阶段获得医疗照护。

“这项立法为一个更负责任、更高效的医疗体系奠定框架，使患者真正处于中心位置。”

Patients will be at the heart of New Zealand’s health system under legislation passed by Parliament today that strengthens accountability, reduces bureaucracy, and keeps the focus on delivering better healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“The Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Act makes it clear that the health system exists to serve patients. It strengthens accountability, restores a focus on delivery, and ensures every part of the system is working towards better health outcomes for New Zealanders.

“It puts patients at the heart of the health system by making timely access to quality healthcare a core purpose of the Act and requiring health entities to deliver measurable results.”

Mr Brown says the legislation is a key part of the Government’s work to improve health system performance after years of poor outcomes.

“The previous law was too focused on bureaucracy instead of patients. It created confusing expectations through vague principles and a health charter that did not once use the word ‘patients’, while mentioning unions 11 times.

“New Zealanders expect the health system to deliver timely, quality care, not more process and paperwork. This legislation puts that expectation into law.”

The legislation supports the Government’s focus on putting patients first, including by:

establishing a new purpose for the Act to ensure patients receive timely access to quality health services.
requiring all health entities, including Health New Zealand, to give effect to the Government’s health targets.
repealing the health sector principles and the New Zealand Health Charter, replacing them with a clearer focus on achieving measurable outcomes for patients.

Mr Brown says the changes correct a system that had lost focus on delivery.

“The previous Government scrapped health targets, centralised decision-making, and removed accountability while every major health target went backwards. Patients waited longer for emergency care, elective treatment, and specialist appointments.

“We have restored health targets because they drive performance, transparency, and accountability, and we have backed them with record investment in health and stronger support for our frontline workforce.

“That focus is already delivering results. Emergency department wait times are coming down, more patients are being seen and treated faster, childhood immunisation rates are improving, and we’re investing in new hospitals and primary care so New Zealanders can access care sooner and closer to home.

“This legislation provides the framework for a more accountable and effective health system – one that delivers for New Zealanders and keeps patients at the centre.”