Health commissioner 'immediately put a stop' to the new rule
Health New Zealand has reversed its restriction to limit Milo purchase among employees following intervention from Health Commissioner Lester Levy, according to reports.
The agency previously limited the purchase of Milo in Health NZ to only when required "for clinical reasons or under contractual arrangements," Radio New Zealand reported.
But this restriction has been overturned in an announcement from Health NZ last week on its internal webpage, which revealed that Levy "personally overturned" the move.
"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," the announcement read as quoted by RNZ.
Levy also confirmed in a statement that he "immediately put a stop" to the plan when he learned about it.
"I know from our staff on the frontline that they particularly enjoy Milo, and it should continue to be available to them," the commissioner told RNZ.
Health NZ's move to limit Milo purchase is seen as a measure to save money, which came after a forecast that the agency will experience a $1.7-billion deficit by June 2025.
Dr. Deborah Powell, executive director of the Resident Doctors Association, said Health NZ's restriction on Milo "really annoyed a lot of people."
"I've had nurses get in touch to say, 'We can't give patients much these days, but at least we can keep offering someone a drink of Milo if they've been waiting for hours in an over-booked outpatient clinic,'" Powell told RNZ.
According to the director, the provision of hot drinks has been included in some health workers' collective contracts, meaning that failure to provide them requires employers to pay an allowance.
"So if this was done as a cost-saving measure, it would have done anything but," Powell said. "I think I calculated it would have added $2.3m cost for nurses alone to Te Whatu Ora if they removed that provision."
