AFTER almost a quarter of a century with Hunter New England Health - the final decade or so as its chief executive - Michael DiRienzo will finish his stint in the top job early next month.
It's fair to say that some of those who worked for the service will not be sad to see him go. Running an area health service is a difficult job at the best of times, especially when the person concerned comes from a financial - rather than a medical - background.
As the Newcastle Herald reported in October last year, relations between Professor DiRienzo - his adjunct title at the University of Newcastle - and the health service medical staff had deteriorated to the point where senior doctors accused the service of cooking the books on surgery waiting times, among other grievances.
A "secure poll" of some 256 medical specialists resulted in 169 responses, with 157 saying they had no confidence in the health district management and Professor DiRienzo.
At around the same time, the chair of the Medical Staff Council, Rob Pickles, disputed some of the claims made by dissenting staff, pointing out that the adequacy - or otherwise - of health funding was an issue in every jurisdiction, but that this was a broad political problem rather than something that was the fault of Professor DiRienzo.
Respected urologist Dr Sandy Grant was one of the few at the time to put his name publicly to the concerns he said were held by many about the way Professor DiRienzo was running Hunter New England Health.
Hopefully more information will emerge in coming days, but nobody survives in such a cut-throat job for as long as Professor DiRienzo had without doing a lot right, even if he stepped on toes - or stood up to big medical egos - in doing it.
Having begun with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Newcastle, Professor DiRienzo worked in the industrial sector before joining the health service in 1999.
His financial administration had won him plaudits from Macquarie Street, but with Brad Hazzard - Health Minister since 2017 - retiring at next month's election, he appears to have read the writing on the wall.
His interim successor, Tracey McCosker, is well regarded, but the choice of his eventual replacement in this regionally crucial position will lie with whoever holds power after March 25.
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