Incompetence dressed up as good news.
Nine years ago, Wellington Hospital identified a need for a third cancer treatment machine - a linear accelerator, used to blast tumours. Six years ago, the capacity of the 2 machines was exceeded. Waiting lists sat at up to 12 weeks, instead of a maximum of 4 weeks. They still don't have one.
The Ministry of Health, at some point in time, finally approved $5M dollars and the DHB then wasted more time arguing about how the extra $500K needed should be funded. This is the same DHB that added 64 more managers (annual cost well over $500K) and commissioned a report to see where cost savings could be made. The report cost 250K, and recommended firing 50 doctors.
The Dom Post published the decision to buy a linear accelerator as a "good news" story on the front page of last Friday's paper. They spoke as if the waiting was over. Families of people that have died, or suffered unnecessary stress may not see it as fantastic news. And don't believe for a second the matter is closed. They still need final sign off, purchase, delivery, installation and assurance we still have the staff capable of operating the extra equipment.
It is an election year, so no doubt we'll see this story on the front page several more times as the machine arrives, then is put into action.
The one thing the government has increased capacity for is an army of press release writers. Perhaps they should be called "Political Accelerators"? I say this because it reminds me of a scientific paper released in 1988 by William DeBuvitz [Source].
This is socialism working folks. Virtually unlimited tax payer money to distribute and allocate resource as required for the betterment of all. The Government has increased spending in the Health Sector by billions of dollars since they came into power 8 years ago. They promised the creation of 21 new DHB's would allow them to gain efficiencies and reduce the Head Office staff count. It hasn't. Head Office numbers are up and the money has poured into Administratium. The money goes into hiring middle managers that are not empowered to make decisions, just review and advise.
One of the measurements of success are the waiting lists. Here, we have six years of data proving the waiting lists were exceeded. We had three years prior indicating it was time to schedule a new machine. The government has finally done something - but it still hasn't happened.
It still hasn't happened.
What has happened is that any-one on a waiting list longer than 6 months has been taken off it. The government tries to change reality by changing the way figures are collected. This act alone should have seen them turfed out.
But it doesn't seem to penetrate the mass voters. Instead they read the paper and see that Wellington finally, after nine years, is getting a new linear accelerator.
Well, it still hasn't happened.
------------------------------
An alternative take on this: The discovery of Electionarium
TBR discuss the $47M increase across government in media staff: Pravda
See also: Wellington loses the Oncology Department
Nine years ago, Wellington Hospital identified a need for a third cancer treatment machine - a linear accelerator, used to blast tumours. Six years ago, the capacity of the 2 machines was exceeded. Waiting lists sat at up to 12 weeks, instead of a maximum of 4 weeks. They still don't have one.
The Ministry of Health, at some point in time, finally approved $5M dollars and the DHB then wasted more time arguing about how the extra $500K needed should be funded. This is the same DHB that added 64 more managers (annual cost well over $500K) and commissioned a report to see where cost savings could be made. The report cost 250K, and recommended firing 50 doctors.
The Dom Post published the decision to buy a linear accelerator as a "good news" story on the front page of last Friday's paper. They spoke as if the waiting was over. Families of people that have died, or suffered unnecessary stress may not see it as fantastic news. And don't believe for a second the matter is closed. They still need final sign off, purchase, delivery, installation and assurance we still have the staff capable of operating the extra equipment.
It is an election year, so no doubt we'll see this story on the front page several more times as the machine arrives, then is put into action.
The one thing the government has increased capacity for is an army of press release writers. Perhaps they should be called "Political Accelerators"? I say this because it reminds me of a scientific paper released in 1988 by William DeBuvitz [Source].
This is socialism working folks. Virtually unlimited tax payer money to distribute and allocate resource as required for the betterment of all. The Government has increased spending in the Health Sector by billions of dollars since they came into power 8 years ago. They promised the creation of 21 new DHB's would allow them to gain efficiencies and reduce the Head Office staff count. It hasn't. Head Office numbers are up and the money has poured into Administratium. The money goes into hiring middle managers that are not empowered to make decisions, just review and advise.
One of the measurements of success are the waiting lists. Here, we have six years of data proving the waiting lists were exceeded. We had three years prior indicating it was time to schedule a new machine. The government has finally done something - but it still hasn't happened.
It still hasn't happened.
What has happened is that any-one on a waiting list longer than 6 months has been taken off it. The government tries to change reality by changing the way figures are collected. This act alone should have seen them turfed out.
But it doesn't seem to penetrate the mass voters. Instead they read the paper and see that Wellington finally, after nine years, is getting a new linear accelerator.
Well, it still hasn't happened.
------------------------------
An alternative take on this: The discovery of Electionarium
TBR discuss the $47M increase across government in media staff: Pravda
See also: Wellington loses the Oncology Department
T'is the year for a change.
ReplyDeleteYour writing this reminded me of Parkinson's Law
"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
And the suits march on.
The suits don't just march on--they proliferate like rabbits on speed.
ReplyDeleteClearly written.
ReplyDeleteI spoke to one of the clinicians and they told me that they were asked to do the business calcs repeatedly when the bean counters wanted to push out the date.
thats what they are paid $100k a yr for not treat paitients .
and Cullen has $7bn of our money in the bank.
Helen Clark has skewed the cancer treatment of the lower north island.