The Ministry of Health has done an about-turn and agreed to compensate the Hawke's Bay DHB to the tune of $1 million for costs incurred as a result of last year's Havelock North campylobacter outbreak.
The DHB initially requested the funding support in about March this year but the ministry declined, saying that instead it would forgive the DHB $1m in its target surplus, which was reduced from $4.5m to $3.5m.
At the time DHB chief executive Kevin Snee expressed disappointment and surmised it was a judgment call on requests of such nature put to it by any of the country's DHBs, which would be weighed up in terms of priority.
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But executive director corporate services Tim Evans told a DHB meeting yesterday that the situation had now changed and the ministry had given a verbal commitment to make the contribution.