CEO Resignation Offers Opportunity For Change

24 May 2005

CEO Resignation Offers Opportunity For Change

“The resignation of Jean O’Callaghan offers an opportunity for Canterbury people to move beyond the model of putting balanced budgets before patients that we have faced for the last two years,” Eleanor Carter of Health Cuts Hurt said today. She was commenting on the resignation of Jean O’Callaghan as CEO of the CDHB announced today.

“Her time in charge will be remembered as being the first of a new breed of manager. As a CEO she was paid what most Cantabrians would see as an obscene sum close to half a million dollars per year,” said Eleanor Carter.

“This CEO’s role was to be make the cuts to services like 10,000 off waiting lists and closing Queen Mary Hospital in order to balance a budget which was totally underfunded for Canterbury,” said Eleanor Carter. “Population based funding has given Canterbury far less funding than we need or were getting. ”

“Instead of going to Wellington and arguing hard for more funds as fairness would dictate, the CEO will be remembered as a manager who tamely made the cuts to balance a budget,” said Eleanor Carter. “She will be missed - not least by local Members of Parliament because now the focus will go onto them about why they are cutting the budget for Canterbury health.”

ENDS

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