District Health Board Deficit Increases
The combined deficit of New Zealand's 21 district health boards (DHBs) was $39.3 million for the December 2003 quarter,
according to Statistics New Zealand. This was a $34.2 million increase on the $5.1 million deficit recorded in the
September 2003 quarter, and is $23.4 million lower than the deficit in the December 2002 quarter.
Total DHB revenue rose to $1,888.1 million, with funding from the Ministry of Health increasing by $147.7 million to
$1,546.7 million. DHB expenses lifted by $195.1 million to $1,927.4 million in the December 2003 quarter. The two major
components of this expenditure are the direct provision of public hospital and health services (HHS), at $1,127.5
million, and the purchase of medical services from non-government providers and inter-DHB services, at $773.3 million.
The total expenses of the HHS providers were 5.0 percent higher than in the December 2002 quarter.
Employee costs, the key expense item, rose to $691.5 million, up 5.5 percent on the previous December quarter.
Total DHB investment in fixed assets was $103.5 million in the December 2003 quarter, down on the $112.2 million spent
in the previous quarter. For the 12 months ended 31 December 2003, DHBs have spent $440.3 million on additions to fixed
assets, up 19.0 percent on expenditure in the previous 12 months.
Brian Pink Government Statistician