So is Otago worse or not?
new-zealand-labour-party
Tue Feb 03 2009 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
So is Otago worse or not?
Tuesday, 3 February 2009, 3:49 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Hon Pete Hodgson
MP for Dunedin North
3 February 2009 Media Statement
So is Otago worse or not?
The question for Health Minister Tony Ryall is not whether the Otago DHB was defrauded, but whether the audit, risk and fraud awareness systems at Otago were materially worse than other DHBs.
That’s the view of Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson who believes that the Otago DHB has systems that were as good as or better than many.
“Mr Ryall keeps changing his grounds initially he wanted to sack Mr Thomson to demonstrate accountability. However, it was pointed to him that Mr Thomson and five other board members had already subjected themselves to the most democratic accountability mechanism there is, an election, and all six were voted back by the people of Otago.
“So now Mr Ryall has come up with another accusation, that the audit and risk and fraud awareness systems were a cause for serious concern. He therefore has a new conundrum. He must sack the chairs of all DHBs, which have systems no better than Otago’s, or he must demonstrate that Otago’s systems were markedly worse than other DHBs.
“I believe he will find that Otago’s systems were as good as or better than many. In other words the unique feature of this case was not Otago’s systems, but Mr Swann, one of two men convicted of defrauding Otago DHB.
“Given that all other DHBs have chosen Otago DHB’s chief executive Brian Rousseau to lead the next wave of fraud awareness activity one can assume that Otago is seen a leader in this area, not a laggard,” Pete Hodgson said.
ENDS
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