Sue Moroney: Waikato DHB has explaining to do

Labour MP Sue Moroney says Waikato DHB has some explaining to do. Photo / NZME

Hamilton-based Labour MP Sue Moroney says Waikato DHB has some explaining to do over its chief executive's pay.

Waikato DHB chairman Bob Simcock has some explaining to do.

His DHBs own annual reports show that CEO Nigel Murray's remuneration increased by $100,000 to 130,000 from the 2014/15 financial year to the 15/16 year.

The Herald was right to question this apparent 25 per cent increase in remuneration at a time when cost-cutting measures are taking place at the DHB.

At first, the DHB said Murray didn't work a full year in the previous year. True, but it was just a few weeks shy of 52 weeks.

Then, they argued that the increase was due to Murray "cashing up" annual leave and his KiwiSaver contributions. But that didn't add up either.

The next day, they came up with a new reason for the increase - apparently, it was mainly "performance bonuses" some of which had been withheld the previous year.

Whatever you call it, it's still money going from the health budget into Murray's bank account.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman should be demanding answers about this.

Waikato DHB has been in the news lately for cost-cutting measures like orthopaedic surgeons being instructed not to hold follow-up consultations with patients and ED patients being transferred to wards that are already full, without additional staffing.

The DHB's mental health services were a shambles during the year in question.

So the Waikato DHB must come clean on the following details:

How much did Nigel Murray get in performance bonuses during 2015/16 and what were they for?

How much annual leave did Nigel Murray forgo and how much did the "cashing up" of that leave add to the cost from the taxpayer?

These questions are important because every health dollar spent on the CEOs performance bonus is a dollar not spent on the increasing number of people who aren't getting their healthcare needs met.

They are important questions because of the stress on nurses, doctors and allied staff who are struggling to deliver the services their CEO gets his performance payments for.

So let's have maximum transparency on this, chairman Simcock. It's not enough to make vague and changing statements to explain it away. We need the hard and fast facts.