Chris Rex’s remaining time as the well remunerated boss of Ramsay Health Care looks sure to be action-packed. Rex announced last month that he was leaving the private hospital operator after nine years in the top job. For now, Ramsay chairman Michael Siddle’s succession plans are as clear as the reasons for ever rising private health premiums. Sensing an opportunity is Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who has evidently decided it’s a good moment for his red house razzle dazzle. Yesterday, while Rex was apparently overseas selling his recent half-year results to investors, Dastyari took to social media for a Daily Show-style take-down of Rex. Rex’s crime? Being a paid a lot and, apparently, refusing to attend a Senate committee this week that will look at why costs for replacement knees, hips and pacemakers are so expensive in the private system. “Mr Rex. Mate. Bloke to bloke, come and have a chat. Come to our hearings,” said Dastyari to the camera. Ramsay’s people said characterising Rex’s no-show as a “refusal” isn’t fair. They said no official invitation from Dastyari’s office was made directly to Rex, only a call last week through to the company’s switchboard followed by an email. Well, any confusion seems to have been cleared up by Dastyari’s video. Rex is very much invited to the committee, which meets in Canberra today. The Ramsay boss — who advised the ASX on Friday that he had sold $35m worth of his stock, as his CFO Bruce Soden revealed he had sold $7.5m — seems to be in Europe at the moment. So that won’t happen. But if Rex refuses to attend future gatherings, Dastyari has made it known the Labor and Greens majority committee consider flexing its powers to make a summons. Other healthcare bosses who could also be summoned include Bupa boss Dwayne Crombie, Healthscope’s Robert Cooke and Medibank’s Craig Drummond. No word yet on any potential summons of NIB chief executive Mark Fitzgibbon, who as it happens is the brother of Labor shadow minister Joel Fitzgibbon.
