Thanks Lizzie for your article on the state of the buildings which our health system relies upon to deliver health services to our communities. This whole issue, since it has emerged, raises the question as to whether it is appropriate for the district health boards to also be property managers.
Their undistracted focus should be on ensuring the health of our community and caring for people in times of ill health. To expect these boards and their managers to also be experts in property maintenance is unrealistic.
There has been a clear conflict of interest over the management of health funds, with political pressure and critical health demands leaving property management on the back-burner.
A solution could be to vest the oversight, planning and maintenance of the health estate into a separate expert body or even a charitable company which would then charge a fixed pre-agreed amount to the DHB for property services and manage the property resources to generate income, some of which could subsidise the DHB.
This income could be generated from operating commercial ventures to provide on-site carparking, accommodation, cafes, restaurants and other ventures that are often an important support to a hospital campus and its users such as patient visitors, staff and the many other professionals and groups that visit a hospital.
ALEX CZERWONKA
Ngongotaha
