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Health Minister David Cunliffe's threat to axe Hawke's Bay District Health Board has bought him a fight with the medical community and local politicians.
Local doctors are rallying in support of their health authority and the region's mayors are also opposing Mr Cunliffe's move.
Mr Cunliffe yesterday wrote to the board giving it a deadline of six days to provide written reasons why he shouldn't appoint a commissioner in their place.
He said his action was prompted by a "deteriorating situation" in the board's governance.
Peter Foley, a local GP and New Zealand Medical Association chairman, said doctors had complete confidence in the board.
"The clinicians and the people of Hawke's Bay would consider it a very ill advised decision by the minister to remove the current district health board of Hawke's Bay," he said.
John Rose, chairman of the senior medical staff at Hawke's Bay Hospital, said doctors had no knowledge of any tension between clinicians and the board, which the minister had suggested.
Yesterday board chairman Kevin Atkinson accused the minister of trying to "bag" the board and said Mr Cunliffe's statements that clinical staff were unhappy with the board were wrong.
Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott said people needed to see proof that Mr Cunliffe had justification to sack the board.
Ms Arnott has joined other mayors in sending an open letter to Mr Cunliffe urging him to reappoint Mr Atkinson, saying the community was behind him.
Mr Cunliffe has defended his statements saying several clinicians had expressed concerns to him. He would not say who they were.
He also reprimanded Mr Atkinson for debating the issue in public.
Concern has also been expressed at the board's financial forecast of a $7.7 million deficit by June 30, after forecasts of a balanced budget just seven months ago.
The board's chief executive is currently on indefinite sick leave due to exhaustion, a board member had refused to come to meetings, and Mr Cunliffe is yet to appoint a new chairperson to take over from the outgoing Mr Atkinson.
In July last year the Ministry of Health ordered a governance report on the DHB following a conflict of interest crisis involving board member Peter Hausmann and other issues.
Mr Atkinson said today that he was hopeful that the issue could be worked through with the minister.
"It is unwise to rely purely on media reports," he said.
"The board is performing extremely well and we've made tremendous gains," he said.
- NZPA
