Mammogram rate favourable

Canterbury primary health organisations (PHOs) are leading the country in the provision of breast-cancer screening and flu vaccinations.

However, the refusal of the region's largest PHO, Partnership Health, to report on diabetes performance indicators puts Canterbury at the bottom of the table for management of the disease.

A PHO performance report released by the Ministry of Health shows South Island PHOs have the highest breast-cancer screening rates in New Zealand. Eighty per cent of women at the rural Canterbury PHO are being screened, compared with as low as 40 per cent in Bay of Plenty.

Partnership Health was top in the country for flu vaccinations, with 75 per cent coverage, and the Hurunui-Kaikoura PHO was one of the top-five performers for cervical screening rates on 80 per cent. PHOs covering parts of Auckland were achieving just 48 per cent.

No figures are recorded for Partnership Health for diabetes follow-up, detection and cardiovascular disease risk assessment.

The organisation has refused to report on these areas because GPs are unhappy with an annual assessment being the measure of good treatment, when they feel patients should be continually assessed and treated throughout the year.

The Aoraki, Invercargill and Takitimu PHOs were also in the bottom five in the country for diabetes follow-up and detection.

- © Fairfax NZ News