Listen to doctors, union says

The "particularly bad" relationship between senior management and senior doctors at Southland Hospital needed to be resolved before any merger of the Otago and Southland district health boards proceeded, the doctors' union boss believes.

Ian Powell, the executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, yesterday called on the Southland District Health Board to take time out and seriously consider merger concerns raised by senior doctors and nurses.

Adding a new structure at the hospital, on top of existing problems between hospital management and doctors, would only make the problems harder to resolve, he said.

However, Brian Rousseau, the chief executive of the Otago and Southland health boards, disagreed, saying a merger would improve clinical services and may strengthen the relationship between Southland Hospital management and staff.

Mr Rousseau disputed that there were bad relations between the management and senior doctors, but did concede there had been "sporadic instances of dissatisfaction" from the doctors.

"The merger could improve relations because people would have to work more closely with each other," he said.

Senior doctors at Southland Hospital also aired concerns yesterday that two of the 11 Southland District Health Board members who would vote tomorrow on the planned merger were also members of the Otago board that announced its unanimous support for the amalgamation last week.

Dr Chuck Leuker, the spokesman for 24 senior medical staff who have called the consultation process on the proposed merger flawed, said the votes of board members Tahu Potiki and Susie Johnstone would be challenged because there was a clear conflict.

There was no legal issue with the board members' participation but it was hard to see how they could make an impartial decision when they had already made one, he said.

Mr Potiki and Ms Johnstone, who were appointed to both boards by Health Minister Tony Ryall, disagreed. Both said they intended to exercise their right to vote on the proposal a second time but would take direction from the board on the issue.

Board chairman Paul Menzies said he expected both members would apply their professional judgment to make an independent decision, regardless of how they voted last week.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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