ATTENTION: HEALTH REPORTER NO. OF PAGES: 1

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
TUESDAY 2 MAY 2000
“JACK AND MATES SHOULD PAY FOR WAIKATO COMPUTER BUNGLE"

"Former Health Waikato board chairperson Jack Jenkins and other directors should be made to pay for the waste of millions of taxpayers dollars over their disgraceful computer bungle,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was commenting on the decision of Health Waikato to terminate its relationship with controversial American computer system, Shared Medical Systems.

“Jack Jenkins and his fellow directors forced through the introduction of Shared Medical Systems despite it being designed in quite different American conditions, unproven in New Zealand conditions, and failing to work at Capital Coast Health. Further, they ignored the expert advice of both senior managers, including the former chief executive who lost his job as a result, and senior doctors warning against the purchase.”

“New Board chairperson Ian Wilson and Health Minister Annette King are commended for their determination to bite the bullet and end the fiasco. But it should never have happened in the first place under their predecessors.”

“Taking action against Mr Jenkins and his mates for personal liability will be an interesting test over whether there is any teeth under the Companies Act which currently covers public hospitals.”

“This debacle is hopefully the last financial skeleton in the cupboard of the failed ideological attempt of the previous government to commercialise and privatise public hospitals. Why claiming to be financially competent, taxpayers’ dollars have been wasted through financial incompetence,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Association Of Salaried Medical Specialists

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