Four handheld radios were stolen from Tauranga Hospital's radiology department during the weekend.
The radios were used for communication between staff coordinating the movement of patients and the theft was enormously frustrating, hospital support services manager Bev Middendorf said.
"The four radios were sitting on a charger bank in the radiology department and the whole lot has been taken.
"These radios were used by our radiology department and hospital orderlies for arranging the transfer and movement of patients. Their theft has the potential to impact on patient's wellness and our ability to respond in a timely manner to requests.