The Minister of Health, Pete Hodgson, has berated the Hawkes Bay District Health Board for removing 1800 patients from the waiting list to see a specialist, and referring them back to their GPs. He says that such treatment of patients is unacceptable.
This is the real problem with the DHB system. The Minister provides the money, which only allows the DHB to employ a certain number of specialists. His ministry then sends a letter to the DHB telling them of their concern over their rising waiting list, and if they don't do something about it, an "intensive monitoring regime" could be imposed. And then they complain when the DHB does something about it.
What else could they have done here? The Ministry hasn't provided more money so that they can see the patients. So the DHB's only option is to send them back to their GPs. As the CEO of Hawkes Bay DHB said, it is just being honest with those people that realistically there is no chance of them being seen anytime soon.
While this situation is definitely not desirable, the Minister is blaming the wrong people. He is responsible for funding and setting overall policy and targets. That is where the problem is. The DHB is again caught in the middle.
The whole DHB system just seems to be a way for the Minister to deflect responsibility elsewhere.Ringtones midiFree Download
This is the real problem with the DHB system. The Minister provides the money, which only allows the DHB to employ a certain number of specialists. His ministry then sends a letter to the DHB telling them of their concern over their rising waiting list, and if they don't do something about it, an "intensive monitoring regime" could be imposed. And then they complain when the DHB does something about it.
What else could they have done here? The Ministry hasn't provided more money so that they can see the patients. So the DHB's only option is to send them back to their GPs. As the CEO of Hawkes Bay DHB said, it is just being honest with those people that realistically there is no chance of them being seen anytime soon.
While this situation is definitely not desirable, the Minister is blaming the wrong people. He is responsible for funding and setting overall policy and targets. That is where the problem is. The DHB is again caught in the middle.
The whole DHB system just seems to be a way for the Minister to deflect responsibility elsewhere.Ringtones midiFree Download
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