MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
THURSDAY 17 JULY 2003
Senior Doctors Want Auckland Dhb To Come Clean On Chief Executive Resignation
“Senior doctors want the Auckland District Health Board to come clean on the sudden dramatic resignation of its chief
executive Graeme Edmond because of the destabilising effect of the rumours presently running amuck,” said Mr Ian Powell,
Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.
“We agree with Health Minister Annette King’s call for the Board to publicly state what was behind the dispute between
Mr Edmond and the Board that led to Mr Edmond’s resignation.”
“There is endless speculation over Mr Edmond’s dramatic resignation including personality conflicts with Board chair
Wayne Brown and threats of health service cuts. We don’t know what the truth is but the rumours are destructive and
destabilising in a district health board that was already suffering a serious crisis of leadership.”
“It is not good enough for the Board to go silent when a longstanding chief executive resigns and both state that there
were serious differences between them. Mr Edmond has previously stated that he was determined to be present for the
opening of the new hospital, now only a few weeks away. What suddenly occurred that changed this? Alleged personality
conflicts and threatened service cuts don’t appear to adequately explain this.”
“The Board should listen to the Health Minister and senior doctors and come clean. In the meantime senior doctors are
left in the dark only able to crack in-house jokes about Auckland going GE free,” concluded Mr Powell.
Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR