'Excellent' choice for health body

Anne Kolbe
Anne Kolbe
The appointment of Associate Prof Anne Kolbe as chairwoman of the National Health Committee has been welcomed by neurosurgery campaigner Richard Thomson.

Mr Thomson, a Southern District Health Board member and co-leader of last year's "Keep Neurosurgery in Dunedin" Facebook campaign said Prof Kolbe would be "an excellent person" for the position.

She was clearly someone of intellect who had a way of dealing respectfully with people but also getting "things done".

Prof Kolbe, with her "very good analytical brain" was able to see a way through to outcomes while not losing sight of the difficulties and limitations involved, he said.

Prof Kolbe became a familiar figure in the South last year when she was appointed to head the expert panel on neurosurgery given the task of finding a solution to the stalemate over the future of the service in the South Island.

Originally from Australia, Prof Kolbe is a paediatric surgeon and also head of the clinical school at Auckland University's School of Medicine.

Announcing her appointment, Health Minister Tony Ryall said she was the sole member of the National Health Committee at this stage.

She had indicated her intention to convene a small working party to begin reconfiguring the committee.

The committee advises the health minister on health and disability issues and, according to the recommendations of the Ministerial Review Group, is to be refocused with a broader mandate advising the minister on services that should be publicly funded.

 

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