By VANESSA BIDOIS and NZPA
HAMILTON - Health Waikato's success in turning last year's $10 million deficit into a $36,000 surplus has not appeased its critics.
Health lobbyists accuse it of putting profits before people.
In an annual report released yesterday, the directors of New Zealand's second-largest hospital said the profit was an
"outstanding financial result" for the year ended June 30.
But a spokesman for the Nurses' Organisation, James Ritchie, said the profit was at the expense of patients.
"When you've got huge numbers of people waiting for urgent operations, then it's the public of the region who miss out."
Sue Moroney, the chairwoman of the Waikato Coalition for Public Health, said she found the result hard to believe.
"I'm sure all those people who have had their names taken off waiting lists because they haven't been considered sick enough will find a lot of comfort with Health Waikato making $36,000."
Health Waikato had budgeted for a deficit of $5.8 million this year. The directors said the surplus was due to the achievements of management and staff.
They said the profit came through better targeting of resources, removal of barriers to accessing services and improved communication, and the result was an improvement in healthcare.
There were 26,782 admissions to Waikato Hospital this year, compared with 25,617 last year.
The hospital performed 20,287 surgical procedures, up slightly on last year's 20,177.
There were 3851 births, down from 4251 last year.
Chief executive Jan White is the highest-paid at Health Waikato with a salary bracket of $250,001 to $260,000. She started in March.
There are 146 staff on more than $100,000, 134 of whom are senior medical staff. Excluding Dr White, three earn between $200,000 and $260,000.
Health Waikato directors were paid just over $200,000 in total, and chairman Jack Jenkins received $50,604.
Major capital expenditure for the year included $2.7 million for a second cardiac catheter laboratory, $3.4 million for new computers and equipment and $11.2 million for the controversial new SMS clinical information system.
