Management of chronic kidney disease is likely to be given a higher priority by Southern Health Primary Health Organisation following feedback on its proposed clinical programme.
The organisation will discuss its revised programme with the Southern District Health Board today and does not wish to give details until final board approval is given.
PHO chief executive Ian Macara said feedback showed asthma was seen as less of a priority than management of chronic kidney disease and the revised plan would reflect that.
The plan, which went out for consultation in May, did not list interventions for kidney disease under the estimated $1 million to be spent on chronic conditions.
In that version of the plan, patients with poorly controlled asthma were to be reviewed with the aim of improving their management of the condition to reduce hospital admissions.
One controversial original proposal involved focusing sexual health funding programmes on Maori, Pacific Island people and those from low socioeconomic areas.
The consultation document said sexual health funding for other groups would be at the discretion of each of the practices within the PHO to use part of their health promotion funding allocation.
Yesterday, Mr Macara said there would definitely be a sexual health programme offered across the region. However, he did not wish to elaborate until the revised plan had received approval by the district health board.
