NOT OUR PROBLEM
Ian
Cowan
Christchurch
radiologist Ian Cowan’s fascinating novel takes us back to the health reforms
of the early 1990s. New Zealand’s public healthcare system was falling into
turmoil as the government tried to convert public hospitals into competing
independent businesses, dedicated to operating at a profit.
‘Not Our Problem’ tells the story of
surgical trainee Stephen Cassidy. He is working long hours at a New Zealand
hospital and suffering from burn out, exams are looming and he has become so
difficult to live with that his girlfriend Zoe has left him.
Cassidy decides to take a year off to regain
his sanity and try to win Zoe back. He gets a job in hospital management,
expecting to help the organisation run better and leave work at 5.00pm every
evening.
But it’s 1992 and the
health reforms are in full swing. Cassidy battles with the managers as he sees
relentless funding cuts affecting staff and patients. His expert advice is
consistently rejected and Zoe leaves, perhaps forever. It’s time for Cassidy to
take matters into his own hands.
About the author
Ian Cowan was born in
England but became a New Zealander when he was 10. Since 1984 he has worked as
a consultant radiologist at Christchurch Hospital, and he watched the ‘health
reforms’ from close up. More recently he has spent time teaching X-ray interpretation
in developing countries, including Uganda, Rwanda
and the South Pacific. He believes that New Zealand’s culture is in danger of being eroded by political
policies that favour wealth creation over inclusiveness and fairness, and that
we all need to be alert to this before it’s too late.
Release Date: 8 October
2015
Rrp
$39.99 www.iancowan.nz
The launch of ‘Not Our Problem’ at The George Hotel, Christchurch on Thursday 8 October will also honour the 1996 Christchurch Hospitals’ Medical Staff Association Executive for their persistence and courage. ‘We owe them a huge debt, and we need to ensure that this mistake is never repeated’ says Ian Cowan.
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