New Health Ministry chief is focus of great expectations

Stephen McKernan

Health chiefs and politicians hope the appointment of Counties Manukau District Health Board chief executive Stephen McKernan to head the Health Ministry will shake up a system which the Opposition claims is "falling to Third World status".

Mr McKernan's resignation from Counties Manukau to become the ministry's director-general was announced yesterday, and brings to an end a four-year tenure in South Auckland. He will take up his new position in Wellington from July 31.

"The Health Ministry desperately needs in its leadership someone with practical experience of how health services are best organised and delivered," Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell said yesterday.

"We hope that Mr McKernan will provide the shake-up that the ministry needs and become more acutely aware of the valuable role of health professionals in the health system."

National health spokesman Tony Ryall said Mr McKernan would have his work cut out "bolstering a failing and incompetent Health Minister" and resurrecting a "Third World" health system.

"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&E departments that are not seeing patients in time."

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia last night welcomed Mr McKernan's appointment, and hoped he would confront racism in the system.

"We will encourage the new leadership to seriously address the issues of institutional racism, which appear to be endemic in a number of institutions, including health."

Mr McKernan last night rejected claims the system itself was in "crisis", but said there were issues he believed needed to be looked at as a priority.

These included working with district health boards on primary and mental health care, addressing the obesity epidemic and "the chronic health burden".

"I think how we measure the value that the system has provided is a key challenge in this role."

He did not agree with Mr Ryall's "Third World" assessment.

"I think we have to be careful with comments like that. We need to look at the programmes that are currently being delivered, and the outcomes they achieve."

Mr McKernan leaves Counties Manukau "with best wishes from the board", chairman Pat Snedden said yesterday.

"We know that this has been a difficult decision for Stephen to make and not one that has been taken lightly. We thank Stephen for his leadership over the past four years and wish him and his family well for the future."

An appointment to the role of acting chief executive at Counties Manukau is expected in the next week.