Health Commissioner Dr Lester Levy has assured staff they will still be able to have a drink of Milo at work. Photo: RNZ
The man in charge of the country's public health system has stepped in to ensure all staff can still have a drink of Milo at work.
In a message to staff on Wednesday posted on an internal webpage, Health New Zealand advised that an earlier decision to restrict supplies of the malty beverage had been personally overturned by the Commissioner, Dr Lester Levy.
"Milo will remain available to all. Authorised staff will be able to make Milo purchases using the same system as before. We appreciate all the work that you are doing - thank you."
Dr Levy was installed as commissioner by Health Minister Shane Reti in July, after he sacked the board following revelations that Te Whatu Ora was haemorrhaging $147 million a month.
He has been spearheading a wide-ranging suite of cost-cutting measures, including the provision of hot drinks under the central procurement system.
Before the intervention of the Commissioner, purchase of Milo was to be limited to when it was required "for clinical reasons or under contractual arrangements".
In a statement to RNZ, Levy said: "When I first became aware yesterday that it had been proposed that Health NZ switch to an alternative to Milo to save some money, I immediately put a stop to that and issued a communication to all staff that in the case of Milo the status-quo will prevail.
"I know from our staff on the frontline that they particularly enjoy Milo, and it should continue to be available to them."
Some staff - while grateful to have their Milo access restored - were bemused by the move, at a time when support staff were losing their jobs and many services were struggling with the recruitment freeze.
"This feels like the Commissioner is micromanaging a budget and that's concerning when making cuts," one clinical staff member said.
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