The Minister of Health, formerly styled Minister of Public Health, is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards.
The present Minister is Jonathan Coleman, a member of the National Party.
History
The first Minister of Public Health was appointed in 1900, during the premiership of Richard Seddon. The word "Public" was dropped from the title when Sir Maui Pomare took over the portfolio from 27 June 1923, as simply "Minister of Health".
In the health system reforms of the 1980s, the Department of Health lost responsibility for both the provision and funding of healthcare — these roles were transferred to separate Crown Health Enterprises (the precursors to today's District Health Boards) and the Health Funding Authority, respectively. The only function remaining was policy-making (resulting in the Department being renamed a Ministry). For a time, there was a separate Minister in Charge of Crown Health Enterprises, who was not necessarily the same as the Minister of Health. Further reforms have changed this, however — the Health Funding Authority has been re-absorbed into the Ministry of Health, and the modern District Health Boards, while not part of the Ministry, are considered a responsibility of the Minister of Health.
A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Country-related articles and lists
The Minister of Health (Icelandic: Heilbrigðisráðherra) was a cabinet position which existed between 20 November 1959 and 1 January 1970 and again between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010. The Ministry of Health existed alongside the minister after 1 January 1970 when the Cabinet of Iceland Act no. 73/1969 took effect since ministries had not formally existed separately from the ministers. Between 1 January 1970 and 1 January 2008 the position became Minister of Health and Social Security (Icelandic: Heilbrigðis- og tryggingamálaráðherra) and the ministry itself was also renamed accordingly. On 31 December 2010 the Ministry of Health was merged with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Security to form the Ministry of Welfare.
List of ministers
Minister of Health (20 November 1959 – 1 January 1970)
Minister of Health and Social Security (1 January 1970 – 1 January 2008)
The Cabinet of Iceland Act no. 73/1969, which had been passed by the parliament 28 May 1969, took effect on 1 January 1970. Thus the Cabinet was formally established along with its ministries which had up until then not formally existed separately from the ministers.