I am so disappointed to hear Rob Campbell finally admitting that the health system is in crisis.

He said it this morning in a round of interviews talking about his speech last night, which was all about him slamming the health reforms.

He said the new health system is in a "crisis situation".  

Yes, it is in crisis. We can all see that. So why didn’t he say that when he was still in charge of the health system? 

He had so many opportunities. In fact, he was on this show on the first of November and we asked him if the health system was in crisis. We asked him repeatedly.

And he did everything to avoid just saying “yes”. He said “oh look, we’ve got a number of crises”. And “debating” whether it’s a crisis “is not really the point” and “inflammatory language doesn’t really help”.

But he wouldn’t say: “Yes, it’s in crisis.”

But that is exactly when he should’ve admitted it, because then he could’ve fixed it.

It’s no good him admitting it now, he’s been sacked from his job. He’s just a civilian like the rest of us.

Him admitting it is a crisis is only slightly more valuable than you admitting it is a crisis, because neither you nor he can fix it from the outside. 

You know, most of what he says is true. From what I hear from others involved in the health system and the scrapping of the DHBs, there are people in the system who deliberately tried to slow the reform down to save their own jobs.

Yes, there are too many managers who are rubbish at their jobs and the reform was a half-baked idea.

But he should’ve had the courage to say this stuff before he got the sack, because then the minister would’ve listened to him and we would’ve listened to him. 

Unfortunately now, he might right, but he might also just be bitter. So much fewer people are listening.

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