Health board chiefs rebuked over conflicts of interest (old boys network rulz ok)

Alt Tv/Fleet FM Breakfast News Comment
Health board chiefs rebuked over conflicts of interest
The Auditor-General has condemned Auckland health chiefs for failing to tackle conflict-of-interest issues following the failed $560 million community lab testing court case. The Auditor-General has criticised Auckland District Health Board for failing to make significant changes towards dealing with such conflicts since the High Court decision over Diagnostic Medlab.
In a damning report, Kevin Brady criticises the practices and procedures at the Auckland board. "We had expected that, if anything, the Auckland DHB might have a higher sensitivity to conflicts of interests, because of the previous conflict-of-interest concerns," his report said. It follows the Diagnostic Medlab case, in which board member Tony Bierre's conflict of interest helped derail the $560 million regional laboratory contract awarded to a new contractor, Labtests Auckland. Following a High Court challenge by Diagnostic Medlab, Justice Raynor Asher overturned the contract in March, ruling that the process was unfair and that Auckland's three health boards did not fulfil their obligation to consult primary health organisations. Labtests Auckland is appealing. This is our money they are fucking around with in order to cut juicy little insider deals for one another, above the fray of real life concerns where most Aucklanders live week to week on pay cheques, there is another old boys world of cushy backhanders and cushy backslapping, paid for out of the taxes of all of us, the fact the Auckland DHB consider merely disclosing that they have a conflict of interest as enough moral smokescreen to push ahead with agendas that feather their own nests suggests a level of personal corruption more at home in a banana republic than public health. Fuck em, fuck em all.