DHB Responsibilities
DHB Service Coverage Schedule
The Ministry of Health provides health care to New Zealanders through District Health Boards (DHBs). The Ministry provides funding to the DHBs and specifies the services that they must provide. The DHBs are then free to decide how best to provide those services for their region.
The main accountability document for DHBs is called the Final Service Coverage Schedule 2004/05 (PDF 816KB). This documents sets out the "level of service coverage for which the Ministry of Health and DHBs are accountable."[1] Under this document, DHBs are legally obliged to provide health care to those people who fit the eligibility criteria for accessing publicly-funding health care in New Zealand.
In relation to abortion, DHBs are required to provide termination of pregnancy services "for those Women who meet the criteria provided by the Crimes Act 1961 and the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977." [2]
- Final Service Coverage Schedule 2004/05 (PDF 816KB), in Final DHB Planning Package 2004/05 (Ministry of Health) p 3.
- Final Service Coverage Schedule 2004/05 (PDF 816KB), in Final DHB Planning Package 2004/05 (Ministry of Health) p 23.
Last Updated: 28 April 2005