Alexander (Sandy) Milne

I wish to know the views of fellow Beacon readers regarding the following words in the opinion piece from councillor Nandor Tanczos in the January 22 Beacon:
"It is not the council's job to fix the public health service.  We don't have the expertise, the resource or the mandate.  I do think it is council business, however, to talk about the closure of critical medical services, to advocate for our community and to pressure the government to do better by this sub-region".

Later in the opinion piece, Mr Tanczos asserts that dealing with the Whakatāne Hospital obstetrics problem will take political leadership and skill, and supporting local action on important issues like this are all part of a council's role.

Two days later, the Beacon ran my letter in which I stated that if Mr Tanczos organised a march, I would attend with a loudspeaker and point out how he let us down in a years-long battle for return of an even more important critical local medical service.

I have been inundated with visits and messages asking, "What was all that about?  Tell us more", and I do so now.

I begin by asking Cr Tanczos if he considers that prompt diagnosis of infectious diseases is a critical service.

In 2020, I personally briefed and updated Councillors Lesley Immink, Victor Luca and Tanczos on our Whakatāne Hospital lab downgrade campaign, which local doctors had invited me to lead.  I explained the process by which our community was hoodwinked into accepting a Tauranga-centric service where every microbiology specimen reached the lab bench hours or even days too late.  

On July 3, 2020, I sent a follow-up letter to Mr Tanczos headed, Diagnosis of infectious diseases post-Covid 19.   I repeated key points and asked if he would help facilitate a meeting with councillors.   His reply included this.....

"As I think I indicated at our previous meeting, I am not clear how this matter relates to the business of the strategy and policy committee. That committee's brief is around the council's own strategies and policies, whereas the issue you are raising is about the strategies, policies and decisions of another organisation that we have no formal ability to influence".  

He declined to assist me in dealing with a health system where misinformation was rampant, to our disadvantage.

On July 13, I sent Mr Tanczos a follow-up plea with more details regarding the need for urgency.  He responded:-

"The strategy and policy committee has no possible role in this decision, regardless of its importance".

All my effort in communicating with him was dismissed with a one-liner.

For the record, at that time Dr Luca, now the Mayor,  sent me a lengthy and thoroughly researched email explaining why all New Zealand councils had an obligation to care for the well-being and health of residents.  

Health service provision is not council core business, but neither is it none of council's business.

I know that in our Mayor's judgement, council has a duty to protect the public health in our communities in its most general sense by what-ever means at its disposal.

I would welcome emailed opinions or advice from readers on [email protected]