Wounded patient 'turned away'

Kaitaia Hospital suspects there was a misunderstanding but a local woman said she was stunned last week when she was refused treatment, or even an examination, after she was attacked by a dog in the hospital car park.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said she had gone to fetch a car to collect an elderly woman she had delivered to the hospital.

As she approached the vehicle one of two dogs in the car immediately adjacent launched itself through a fully open front window and attacked her, leaving a bleeding wound on one arm.

She pulled herself away and got into the car, only then realising she was bleeding. Pain kicked in at the same moment.

She went to the accident and medical desk just inside the hospital entrance, displayed the wound and asked if someone could take a "quick look" at it. Everyone was too busy, she was told, and she should consult her doctor.

"This is terrible, absolutely shocking," she said.

"There I was, bleeding and in agony, and they send me on my merry way."

She did go to her GP, who, after a 45-minute wait, cleaned and bandaged the wound, gave her a tetanus injection and prescribed antibiotics and painkillers. Her husband later contacted a dog ranger, who took the dog away and subsequently destroyed it.

Two days after the event, the woman said she was still angry about the response she had received at the hospital, given her obvious need for an examination at the very least, and the fact she had been attacked in the hospital's car park.

"In a situation like that I would have thought some sort of help would have been offered, but I was wrong," she said.

Kaitaia Hospital operations manager Neta Smith said her inquiries suggested that the woman had not been denied treatment, but had chosen to leave before being seen by a nurse.

"It may well have been due to a misunderstanding," she said.

A&M; had been busy that day, with eight patients, two of them acutely unwell and requiring transfer, being treated. The receptionist recalled a woman saying she had been bitten by a dog in the hospital car park and asking whether she should be seen there or go to a GP. The receptionist acknowledged telling her that the unit was busy, but had not advised her to go away.

"The process is that the receptionist records the patient's details and then the patient is triaged by a nurse," Ms Smith added.

"Triage codes are allocated to patients according to Australasian standards. Triage codes 1-3 are seen by hospital staff and triage 4-5 are referred to a GP service."

She was sorry that the woman had had an unpleasant experience and was more than happy to meet her to discuss any further issues should she wish to do so.

Meanwhile the victim was also left wondering what would possess anyone to leave an obviously vicious dog in a car in a public car park with the windows fully wound down.

"There was another dog in the back seat that just sat there, but the one in the front seat would obviously have had a go at anyone who passed within reach," she said.