KEY POINTS:
Health Minister David Cunliffe has hit back at the former chairman of the Hawke's Bay District Health board as the political row into his sacking of the board escalates.
Mr Cunliffe today accused former chair Kevin Atkinson of altering board minutes relating to the approval of a contract
to outsource some elective surgery to the private Royston Hospital in Hastings.
He told Parliament the decision to award the contract was taken by the board's finance and audit committee, against legal and management advice and without some members declaring "a number of actual and potential conflicts".
A letter from board member Peter Hausmann released by Mr Cunliffe when he sacked the board last month claimed Mr Atkinson's brother was a clinician at Royston Hospital.
The letter also included the claim about minutes being changed.
Mr Cunliffe also accused Mr Atkinson of delaying a Health Ministry report into conflict of interest allegations at the DHB, making defamatory comments about a critical clinician, Richard Tustin, and exaggerating the minister's reluctance to engage with the board before sacking them.
Mr Atkinson said in a short statement that Mr Cunliffe's accusations against him were "totally unsubstantiated and not based on fact" and he had conducted himself with integrity "in all matters associated" with his former role.
Mr Cunliffe's attack came as National health spokesman Tony Ryall once again questioned him over the Government's June 2005 appointment of Mr Hausmann.
Mr Ryall has used parliamentary privilege to accuse Mr Hausmann and DHB chief executive Chris Clarke of "colluding" over tender documents for a $50 million contract Mr Hausmann's company Healthcare New Zealand was preparing to bid for.
The allegation is at the centre of the Health Ministry report which will be released on March 17.
Mr Ryall yesterday tabled "secret" emails between Healthcare NZ and DHB staff in May 2005, showing Mr Hausmann's company received copies of the draft tender documents, and suggested changes, three months before they were put out publicly.
Mr Hausmann said the emails showed no such thing and he had acted properly at all times.
Mr Ryall today questioned how former Health Minister Annette King could have appointed Mr Hausmann to the board when such a large conflict of interest existed.
Mr Cunliffe said Mr Hausmann had declared his conflict and the Health Ministry had advised Cabinet it believed the conflict could be managed.
Whether that had occurred would be revealed in the Health Ministry report, he said.
Mr Cunliffe last month cited internal board divisions, an "irrevocable breakdown" in relations with hospital management and a $7.7 million budget blowout as reasons for replacing the board with commissioner Sir John Anderson.
- NZPA