Southern District Health Board commissioner Kathy Grant and her deputies Richard Thomson and Graham Crombie are on the road this week, touring health facilities.
Mrs Grant was appointed after the board was sacked by Health Minister Jonathan Coleman almost three weeks ago.
Pictured at the start of a visit to Dunstan Hospital at Clyde yesterday are (from left) Dunstan Hospital manager Karyn Penno, Mrs Grant, Dunstan clinical director Rob Visser, SDHB chief executive Carole Heatly, Central Otago Health Inc chairwoman Ainsley Webb, Mr Thomson and Mr Crombie and Central Otago Health Services Ltd chairman Russell McGeorge.
The group also visited Maniototo Hospital at Ranfurly earlier in the day.
Hospital general manager Geoff Foster said he had a ''good discussion'' with the commissioner and her deputies and the group had ''a good look at our facilities here''.
Mrs Grant said it was important to meet staff and community leaders early on and to talk to a cross-section of people during the visits.
Labour health spokeswoman Annette King and Dunedin North MP and associate health spokesman David Clark are also visiting rural hospitals in the SDHB area.
They plan to visit Oamaru and Maniototo Hospitals on July 16, Lakes District Hospital (Frankton), Dunstan Hospital and Clutha Health First Hospital at Balclutha the following day.
