We need it to have strong leadership and vision, it needs to be a well chaired, cohesive group of forward-thinking fresh people. It needs to have strong proven governance skills, which means knowing what its role is and the difference between governance and management. We need people who know and understand the issues, gaps and the systems that they have to operate under.
We need people who can see the changes that need to happen and who will support the management to make these changes and to implement the Primary and Community Strategy to provide equitable access to services to our diverse people and region, understanding the diversity of our rural populations, fast-growing and static or shrinking urban areas.
People who can see issues from a patients perspective and see the problems with the culture and outdated hierarchical structures in the medical system. People who are determined to fix bullying and poor communication and siloed departments running in isolation within the system.
We need strong voices for increased Mental Health & Addiction services, better Cancer outcomes and people who understand that the world is changing and a new hospital in Dunedin needs to be what we need in the future not what we have now. Let’s make a change for the better, I ask for your support to make me one of these people.
John MacDonald
Standing for SDHB and for re election on QT Lakes District Council
This is a paid opinion piece.