One more strike for health boss

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Fourteen of the country’s 20 district health boards (DHBs) have been told to manage with less money from the 2017 Budget allocation, because Chuah’s ministry got the figures wrong.

The overall amount given to the DHBs – $439 million – does not change. However, $38m was wrongly allocated, because draft numbers and not final figures were provided by the Health Ministry when the Budget was being drawn up. Fixing it means some health boards in the north are big winners. Waitemata gets $12.6m it wasn’t expecting, Auckland is $10.6m up.

But DHBs just about everywhere else are scrambling to make new plans after learning they won’t get what the Budget promised them.

The Capital and Coast board covering Wellington will get $3.7m less than expected, and Mid Central centred on Palmerston North loses $5.5m. Coleman said Chuah had not offered to resign over the blunder. ‘‘I don’t want his resignation. I want the work to be done properly,’’ the minister said.

But this mistake is the second significant error to be exposed within a year. Earlier, the ministry was left $18m short after miscalculating how to fit out its new head office.

It is unfathomable how Chuah, a senior accountant with a long management career in the public service and health, has not been able to keep on top of the numbers.

The latest accounting bungle will be felt particularly in Wellington, where the DHB is trying to address 20 years of deficits in its balance sheets.

Canterbury DHB managers can be forgiven for feeling exasperated towards ministry officials, who have had financial consultants trawling through the DHB’s books – some would say vindictively – while proving themselves unable to keep the ministry’s own financial reckonings in order.

Chuah says the error exists ‘‘on paper only’’, as the financial year does not start until July 1. Tell that to the managers and planners who now have to go back through their spreadsheets for the coming year and re-attempt the difficult job of rationing health care to fit their budgets.

Chuah also underestimates the reputational damage to his ministry and to himself. One more strike and he’s out.