Parliament’s Select Committee on Health has been asked to investigate an apparent failure of Capital & Coast Health to follow the directives of the Minister of Health.

A Wellington Regional Councillor claims that Capital & Coast Health’s business plan is not what Health Minister Annette King prescribed.

Councillor Robert Shaw said the Minister was specific in her directive on 18 July 2000 when she asked C&CH to produce a business plan.

“Annette King told them it was essential that there was full public consultation on the business plan, and this is not consistent with C&CH’s present consultation on one tightly defined, take-it-or-leave-it, proposal.”

“The Minster said there were to be 300 beds at Newtown and 100 beds at Porirua. Instead, the business plan is for 490 beds all but 6 at Newtown.”

“The Minister said her decisions were based on recommendations by the Ministry of Health and other agencies. “

After Annette King’s 1999 announcement, Wellington Regional Council chairperson Stuart Macaskill said “the Council’s hazard analysis reinforces the desirability of secondary services to be equitably distributed throughout the region because of the potential disruption of transport facilities and services”.

The regional council offered to work with Capital & Coast Health but the offer was not accepted.

“It appears that, the C&CH board was unable to accept the Minisiter’s decisions, and decided to develop Newtown Hospital at the expense of the Kenepuru Hospital.”

“I would like Judy Keall who chairs the Health Select Committee to treat this matter as urgent, because C&CH are already applying for resource consents to demolish buildings.”

“We in Porirua and Kapiti expect Government’s decisions to be respected. When a Crown agency takes off in its own direction, they undermine public confidence in government as a whole.

Councillor Robert Shaw
ph 233 0252

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