Big thanks for Bloomfield
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, who is to step down from the job in July, has saved thousands, if not tens of thousands, of lives during his time in the position, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.
During a Covid briefing on Wednesday, Hipkins said he wanted to ‘‘say a very personal thank you to the man most New Zealanders had come to know as the DG’’.
Bloomfield had advised the Government at every step of the public health response to Covid, and that advice had been the basis for the Government’s decision-making, Hipkins said.
‘‘His workload has been enormous, but it hasn’t just been related to Covid-19. And, in fact, his entire life has been dedicated to the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.’’
Bloomfield said the role of director-general of health was complex and challenging at any time. ‘‘In the last two years, I don’t think it could have been more complex and challenging.’’
He had been thinking for a while about when would be the right time for him to step down, Bloomfield said. By June he would have been in the job for four years.
‘‘It seems we’re at a good point in terms of the pandemic. The response is shifting. I’m also confident that the system is in good hands with the changes that are afoot,’’ Bloomfield said.
His family would also be pleased to have more of his time.
The Public Service Commission announced Bloomfield’s resignation on Wednesday. He had previously indicated he would step down before the end of his term in the job, June 2023, the commission said.
‘‘Dr Bloomfield has worked tirelessly for more than two years to keep New Zealanders safe from coronavirus,’’ Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes said, in a statement.
‘‘Dr Bloomfield has demonstrated remarkable resilience and courage in leading the health system’s overall response to Covid-19. That response has saved lives,’’ Hughes said.
‘‘I know many New Zealanders will also be thankful for the job he has done,’’ Hughes said.
‘‘Dr Bloomfield always wanted to stay until New Zealand was in a good place with coronavirus. That time is now.’’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Bloomfield had been ‘‘central to our Covid success as a nation’’.
‘‘There’s not many public servants I have got to know as well as Dr Ashley Bloomfield,’’ Ardern said.
‘‘In every sense of the word – through his tireless dedication, his focus on people, his calm and considered approach – he has been a true public servant,’’ she wrote on social media.
Bloomfield had told Ardern he wanted to move on to spendmore time with his family, she said.
Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said Bloomfield had done a great job of navigating the nation through the pandemic, and was resigning ahead of the major health reforms coming into effect on July 1.
‘‘It’s going to be a time of change,’’ she said. ‘‘It does make sense that he may want to look around for the next thing.
‘‘I think he’s done a great job taking us through an unprecedented time of course.’’
Bloomfield is understood to have worked 12-hour days, up to seven days a week, through much of the pandemic.