Evaluating medical technology in the context of a fiscal crisis: the case of New Zealand.

Planning for health services in New Zealand, and the implications of increasing use of high technology, fail to take account of the mounting crisis in the country's economy. Social policy that ignores structural problems in the economy or the system of medical care is unrealistic. A strategy is advanced to determine what resources are likely to be available, and how they can be allocated to ensure value for money. The situation is not unique to New Zealand.