Health Commissioner Lester Levy says a lower health deficit than expected is a sign of progress.  

Health New Zealand's revealed a $1.1 billion deficit – well short of the $1.76 billion it initially reported. 

The Opposition's accused the Government of manufacturing a crisis to justify its cuts.  

Levy told Mike Hosking he's confident Health New Zealand will be at zero deficit in three years, assuming nothing unexpected happens.  

But he says that's a temporary and fixable problem, unlike the real problem of long waiting times. 

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