The Medical Association says it will lobby hard for the Government to reduce the number of district health boards.
Chairperson Peter Foley says rationalising the existing 21 boards will create more efficiency.
He says New Zealand has the same population as Melbourne and it makes no sense to have 21 autonomous regions.
Dr Foley says the result has been inefficiencies in health care and what he calls 'post code' health where geography has dictated the level of service.
Hospital specialists have also criticised a burgeoning bureaucracy within DHBs, saying basic health services are losing out to DHB management salaries.
