Did Tony Ryall do the right thing in cancelling the health care conference?

Updated: 9:24AM Wednesday February 11, 2009

Health Minister Tony Ryall has leaned on his ministry to pull the plug on a conference of more than 300 health professionals in Wellington next month on primary health care delivery.

The conference, planned by the ministry and the District Health Boards New Zealand, would have been the third such conference in five years.

It would have cost taxpayers $123,000 and was to have been held from February 24 to 26.

Did Tony Ryall do the right thing in cancelling the health care conference? Here is the latest selection of Your Views:

Plumduff Annie (Houhora)
Wednesday February 11, 2009 I'm with Amigo Black (Johnsonville), the population gets bigger the hospitals are not meeting this expansion. We have 37 social service agencies in Te Hiku o te Ika. We are no better off. The issue is the hospital waiting lists. More beds, more surgeons, more surgery Good on Tony Ryall.

Pacificfrank (Auckland Central)
Wednesday February 4, 2009 The decision to cancel was a good one given the economic times but Tony Ryall was simply taking an oportunity to grandstand politically. This was a popular move and given the governments lack of action in its first 100 days to tackle the real issues around the economy and keeping NZers working, this was a soft target.

westie (New Zealand)
Tuesday February 3, 2009 If someone asked me 20 or so years ago as to whether I have faith with the NZ Public Health system I would have replied 'yes'. If someone asked me at the turn of the new millenium whether I had faith I would admit my faith had wavered considerably.

And today if someone asked me the same question as 20 years ago I would reply No Bloody Way. After what the WDHB put us through I have lost complete and utter faith or trust in any DHB.So any "self-seeking to look good conference just to use up tax-payers money" just doesn't wash with me or my family anymore.

And as I said I certainly hope no other government department e.g the Reserve Bank does any similar junkets especially overseas?!

Huggiebear (Ellerslie)
Monday February 2, 2009 I think that the real reason why Tony Ryall has cancelled the conference is that he proposes to confront the health care people in public service

Like all National party politicians we are finding that they are utterly devoid of policy objectives, except to place their own lap-dog people in the top positions

God help us for the next three years!

Rodney (Howick)
Monday February 2, 2009 Lady Barbie Girl (Epsom) Some of that $123,000 was your money. It's not just this $123K it's all the other $123K's that were wasted with regular monotony. You can bet that there were countless millions wasted. Just keep in mind , and I certainly don't wish it on you, but if you were admitted for Emergency Treatment in Hospital that there was someone there to help you. The money needs to be spent on health-care workers and not pen-pushers.

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