By now many of you will have heard the news that I am stepping down from the Board for personal health reasons. Last week I shared publicly that I have been diagnosed with a tumour on my pancreas, and that my focus now needs to be on confronting this challenge and supporting my whānau.
This column will go to print on my last day in the role – almost exactly one year since I was elected to the board.
And what a year. Within months we were facing a global pandemic, and I am extremely proud of how our health workers, and the community, met this crisis.
We have faced further challenges, and last week, on behalf of the board, I issued an apology to the community for the shortcomings in colonoscopy care, and vowed to tackle this important area. I have every confidence the whole of SDHB is as passionate and committed to this issue as I and the Board have been, and will work to rebuild the community’s confidence in this service.
I have also seen enormous work to strengthen our health system, finding ways to deliver care in new and better ways.
A highlight has been participating in the development of the new Dunedin Hospital. I am excited to see the progress that’s being made, and know the results will be a tremendous asset for everyone in the Southern district.
I would like to thank the community – for having the confidence in me to elect me to the board, and for the many messages of well wishes you have sent me since I announced my decision last week. It has been a privilege to serve in the role of chair.
Thanks also to CEO Chris Fleming, Southern DHB staff and my Board colleagues, for their support and indeed ongoing care. My best wishes go to the Board and my successor as they confront the challenges ahead.
Ngā mihi
Dave Cull
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