Local businesses and healthy options have been snubbed by Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service executives.
Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett said the hospital vending machine contract was unceremoniously terminated last month before being allegedly awarded to a multinational soft drink corporation.
“At its core, a Health and Hospital service needs to support local residents and promote healthy choices,” said Mr Bennett.
“The recent decision to terminate a vending machine contract with a local business without explanation and allegedly hand it over to a soft drink company that can only sell its own products, goes against every social enterprise business objective.
“Just last month Queensland Health rolled out their ‘Healthier food and drinks at healthcare facilities’ directive that looks to ‘support the delivery of health services that promote health and wellbeing.’ *
“I can’t help by highlight the hypocrisy of the WBHHS’s decision to take a huge contract away from a local business (1ST Class Vending) giving no option to tender, and allegedly hand it over to a renowned unhealthy multinational.
“A healthy choice should be the easy choice but looking at the new vending machines at the Bundaberg Hospital, that’s certainly not the case.”
Former owner of 1st Class Vending Eugene Zanozin said the termination came as a complete surprise.
“Having been in the vending business for over 20 years, we understand that some locations will want to bring on a new supplier for various reasons, however the service given to the hospitals by the local supplier was faultless,” said Mr Zanozin.
“Technical issues were attended to promptly, the business worked very closely with the hospital’s dietitians and nutritionists to ensure all the products in the machines were compliant with government initiatives.
“The business worked with the hospitals in planning the types of machines and the placement of the machines to maximise the return to the hospitals and provide easy access to customers.
“So when you are doing everything right, you do not expect to be terminated with no opportunity of recourse after over a decade of faithful service and collaboration.
“To have the contract go to a multinational organisation that will send the profits away from the local area, jeopardise a local business and local jobs, negatively impact the technical aspects of the operation of the business makes no sense whatsoever.
“It’s certainly not in keeping with the Hospital Foundation’s vision and mission.
“I believe this decision was taken with a very short-term view of potential gain and the future consequences were not thought through, as the people making the decisions have never worked at the coal face of a vending operation.”
* https://www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/policies-standards/health-service-directives/healthier-food-and-drinks-at-healthcare-facilities
ENDS.
19/12/2023