Her job is no longer tenable after the stunt that was pulled yesterday, where her management team gave a presentation to other staff proposing that the way they would save money was to cut nearly 500 doctors and nearly 1500 nurses.
It doesn't look like Margie Apa can plead ignorance or innocence on this one, because according to a source who spoke to the media outlet Newsroom, the presentation wasn’t a stunt - those cuts were actually planned.
And at least one region of the organisation had already started making plans to consult and implement the changes. It's hard to imaging that happening without the CEO signing off on it.
It is impossible to have confidence in her as the boss of Health NZ if she genuinely believes that the way to save money is to cut doctors and nurses in a health system that already doesn’t have enough doctors and nurses.
She was already on thin ice before yesterday, because from the way she was running the place, it had been blowing its budget by $130 million every month for five months.
That's not competence, that's unbelievable.
I think she’s gone. The new Health Commissioner Lester Levy is not expressing full confidence in her, and he's failed to do that a number of times now.
He has also gone public with the fact that he’s called her about these planned cuts and made it very clear that this is 'unacceptable' and is not to be ever repeated. And he told the minister’s office that 'there will be consequences'.
So my guess is - she's gone. It's only a matter of time.
And frankly, given how this place has been run and the nuts idea for how they were going to save money, this is the best outcome.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show HERE - where this article was sourced.
11 comments:
No surprise re. this performance. The surprise will be if this person actually goes - given the Third world incompetence already demonstrated.
People do not see how close NZ is to the edge.
Get rid of her, as well as any of the "management team" who did not push back on this madness during such presentation. Would save millions right there.
Gone !! The sooner, the better.
As a retired pharmacist I had seen, almost first hand, the crippled health system degrading over the last 6 years or so.
Staff shortages across the whole sector.
Hospitals that had more admin staff than health workers !!
I just hope her demise doesn't come with a golden handshake.
This is no longer a first world country. If you get sick, then just die as there is no one available to help you,, is what they are saying.
On that last point - just think about it. 20 dhb's in New Zealand. All of them have more admin staff than health care staff. I got this information first hand. Palmerston North Hospital has a staff of 2,200. So we are looking at more than a THOUSAND admin staff !!
There is a bright side if they lay off that many staff, my goodness, some of us might even be able to have their own GP!
My wife, daughter and I who live in a one of our larger cities have been without for some significant time, and here was me thinking we lived in a first world nation!
But as for Ms Apa, a background in front-line health care should perhaps have been a prerequisite?
Collecting large exit packages is a key element in this massive Leftist rort.
Anon@ 6.29pm, yes indeed, likes those appointed under the former Three Waters rort. Either that, or a very comfortable landing elsewhere, e.g. Ardern & Robertson!
Were they planning on cutting the 2,000 "support" staff to the 2,000 frontline staff they considered redundant ?
Sadly, totally believable idiocy from the management of NZ Health (or whatever Maori name that currently applies).
It’s part of the plan if you’re a good Labour civil servant. When the coalition government asks for cost savings you immediately plan to cut the frontline workers because that proves the coalition is callous and only cares about the rich.
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