The declining role of district health boards raises a question over whether they will continue in their current form, University of Otago health systems authority Prof Robin Gauld says.
Prof Gauld said ''re-centralisation'' sweeping through administrative functions and clinical services effectively downgraded the boards' role, to the point, ''I don't know what the future of boards is''.
Increasingly, collective goods and service purchasing decisions were made by overarching Crown entity Health Benefits Ltd, while multi-region collaboration was becoming common for clinical services.
Prof Gauld said the election of board newcomer Dunedin Hospital emergency department specialist Dr John Chambers to the Southern District Health Board at the weekend was unsurprising given his high profile and willingness to speak out.
Electing both Dr Chambers, a hospital specialist, and Dr Branko Sijnja, a GP, was fitting because the board was trying to link primary and secondary care more closely.
The SDHB vote turnout was 46.3% in the Otago constituency and 44.2% in Southland.
SDHB members are paid $25,000 a year; the chairman gets $50,000, and deputy $31,250.
