Hon Tony Ryall National Party Health Spokesman
13 June 2006
McKernan faces tough job bolstering incompetent Hodgson
National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall says the new Director-General of Health faces a tough challenge, and will
spend much of his time bolstering a failing and incompetent Health Minister.
Counties Manukau DHB chief Stephen McKernan was today named the new chief executive and Director-General of Health,
heading the Ministry of Health.
"Mr McKernan takes on the job in a time of growing crisis in the health system," says Mr Ryall.
"He faces the challenges of improving policy development within the ministry, dealing with the wave of industrial
strife, the waiting list crisis, the GP shortage, a lack of decent after-hours care, inadequate health workforce
planning, and A departments that are not seeing patients in time.
"In short, he inherits a health system that even surgeons say is falling to Third World status.
"Mr McKernan really has his work cut out for him. I hope he has the motivation and determination to make improvements in
the Ministry of Health," says Mr Ryall.
ENDS