The incoming Health Minister is being urged to overhaul the system, in the wake of Covid 19.

Auckland University Emeritus Professor Peter Davis says Jacinda Ardern's appointee to the role has a raft of issues to address.

He says there's an operational gap between ministry bureaucrats in Wellington and healthcare providers.

Davis told Kerre McIvor the pandemic has exposed weaknesses in our digital health infrastructure, and shows a need to reduce DHBs.

"When the focus moved from small-scale measles and rheumatic fever events, to a wide-scale outbreak, it was hard to bring the various manual, regional systems together."

Davis is recommending having four regional health agencies in main centres.

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