Voters urged to support careful management at the ADHB.

Press Release: Citizens and Ratepayers Auckland District Health Board Team (www.aucklandhealth.org.nz)

Voters have been reminded that, in this financial year, the Auckland District Health Board has treated more patients than in the previous year while coming in well ahead of budget.

" People in the Auckland region have been the beneficiaries of a huge collective effort by management, clinical and nursing staff and support people at the Auckland District Health Board over the past year, says Board Chairman Wayne Brown"

Kevin Hicks, a Mt Roskill cancer researcher and Citizens and Ratepayers candidate for the current ADHB elections thinks this news could not be better. “After many years of difficulty there seems to be a new spirit of cooperation across the board. Since the vast majority of candidates standing are new”, says Kevin, “it is now very important to vote for a unified team that will continue this spirit of cooperation and financial responsibility.”

"We are the voice of the community and the message we are getting loud and clear is that the community wants careful use of resources to ensure that the people who need help the most get it. Voters are also very concerned about openness and honesty from our elected officials.”

Kevin says the C&R team is well placed to continue with responsible leadership with a team that includes experienced directors and managers. "Ian Ward for example was a senior manager at the ADHB for many years and has a very deep understanding of the issues it faces. We also have strong ties to the education (Belinda Kusabs), research (Kevin), management (Brian Fergus) and ethnic communities (Ram Rai)."

One of the issues faced by the ADHB is the increased cost of the nurses wage settlement. "Personally I think this settlement will help to deal with aspects of recruitment and retention" he says, "but at the board meeting I attended yesterday the Manager, Garry Smith, was having trouble getting government representatives to acknowledge that the increased costs will severely effect the ADHB's functions."

Kevin, a cancer researcher was also hoping that the improved financial situation may speed up the development of PET (positron emission tomography) for cancer patients in New Zealand. "It appears that the decision to shelve PET was made by a loose grouping of the country's ADHB's" says Kevin. "This doesn’t sound like a central or local democratic decision to me". The ADHB meeting yesterday put the PET issue back on the agenda for the December meeting.

“Don’t be cynical” says Kevin. “By voting carefully your vote can make a difference and give the community a strong unified voice on the ADHB”. Voting forms must be received by Council offices by 12 noon on Saturday 13th October. You can phone 09-379-2023 if you have lost your voting forms.

ENDS

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