Senior doctors who resigned from the Wellington School of Medicine in protest at the treatment of asthma researcher Richard Beasley are waiting for an apology before returning.
Otago University, of which the school is a part, and Professor Beasley, former head of the department of medicine, said in a statement that they had resolved the dispute with an agreed settlement.
The dispute has thrown the school into turmoil for months. Doctors at the Wellington and Christchurch schools of medicine sent letters of protest to the university council.
But despite the announced settlement, the president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Dr Peter Roberts, said the 14 clinical lecturers who resigned would wait for the school to approach them.
"It's up to them to come to us.
"Many of us feel that we deserved an apology [from the university and school] for comments made during the heat of the exchanges."
Dr Roberts, an intensive care specialist at Wellington Hospital was one of the clinical lecturers who resigned.
He said he wanted to discuss the settlement with Professor Beasley.
In the statement, Otago University Vice-Chancellor Graeme Fogelberg and Professor Beasley said all matters in dispute between them had been resolved amicably.
"The issue revolved around the handling of University of Otago funds generated from external sources and utilised through a trust fund for asthma research that was operated outside the university's control."
The university acknowledged that there was no personal financial gain and that the money had been returned to the university.
"Professor Beasley acknowledges that he inappropriately operated outside of the university's policies, and that the investigative process followed by the university was appropriate," said the statement.
"The parties agree it was reasonable that Professor Beasley should stand down from his position as head of department.
"Both parties have developed a joint understanding of procedures for the future and the university has every confidence in Professor Beasley for the future."
The university was anxious that Professor Beasley should continue to be recognised as a world-renowned researcher whose good standing was not in doubt."
- NZPA
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