How Well is the NZ Healthcare System Doing - An International Comparison

This is a think piece.

Introduction
By way of background, doing some unrelated work I came across some international data on the healthcare sector which seemed to contradict my, and the conventional wisdom’s, view of the healthcare sector. Broadly, it is that the sector has been underfunded. That is not what the international data seems to say. By international standards New Zealand healthcare funding appears satisfactory – no worse generally than average. Why then is there so much grumbling which seems to suggest the healthcare system is in crisis? 

Data is always treacherous because of data definitions and structural change over time; international comparisons are even moreso. I proceed with care – and honesty (hence the more conversational tone).The first part of the paper summarises the data. My commentary on its interpretation is in a second part. 

Read more here.