Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Capital Coast DHB problems go back to the 1990's...


Capital Coast DHB problems go back to the 1990's when the former National Party Government commercialised hospitals - the days when cash registers were used to collect patient charges. The days when National tried to Americanise our hospitals and health sevices.

The Wellington Hospital's problems can be seen as commencing during that period. Those inane policies hamstrung many hospitals such as Wellington, Christchurch and Wanganui. It is rather ironic that Wellington Hospital's neighbour, Hutt Valley Health DHB, has become an efficient hospital and health provider during that period - yet both were parners in the old Wellington Hospital Board, which National scrapped in the early 1990's.

The new Health Minister David Cunliffe is on a hiding to nothing in trying to rectify a failure. Better to sack the Board and start over again. Put in a new Chairman and Board, and bring in advisors from Hutt Valley Health on how to run a hospital and administer health services there. I would personally hate to have a life threatening health problem and be admitted to Wellington hospital - there is no guarantee that I would return alive.

The Wellington Coast DHB is a classic case of another former National Government chicken coming home to roost - the chickens are coming home in droves. And National wants to become the Government again. Yeah Right!

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