Brown 'trying to wipe out history'

By THERESA GARNER

A desire for a super hospital with a clean slate untainted by historic scandal is behind moves to get rid of the names of National Women's and Green Lane Hospital.

Auckland District Health Board chairman Wayne Brown has cited links with the "Unfortunate Experiment" of cervical cancer treatment at National Women's and the controversy over retaining babies' hearts at Green Lane Hospital as a reason for the loss.

But staff and former staff are outraged at the idea that the scandals continue to blight the names of the hospitals, saying the internationally renowned names should be retained in the move to Grafton.

Senior obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Ron Jones, who has worked at National Women's for 30 years and is a trustee of the hospital's obstetric and gynaecological endowment fund, said eliminating the name on the basis of the unfortunate experiment, which came to light in the 1980s, was "trying to wipe out history".

"Removing the National Women's name is not going to remove the unfortunate experiment," he said.

"Communities which have been prepared to publicly address miscarriages of justice are generally regarded in a much better light than those that try to push them under the carpet."

He said the name change was an arbitrary decision by Mr Brown.

The hospital had addressed the issues raised by its earlier treatment of cancer patients, Dr Jones said.

"We gained praise both nationally and internationally in how we dealt with the difficult issues that arose from the cervical cancer inquiry.

"We now have a very high international reputation for research in pre-cancerous abnormalities of the cervix, which was what that was all about."

In reference to Mr Brown's desire to focus attention on the city the health board is funded for, Dr Jones said more than half his patients lived out of Auckland City. "While Mr Brown might like to believe that you can remove these people, you can't.

"He'd be doing us more of a favour if he was spending more time in Wellington getting more money for us to do the work that we need to do."

Dr Jones was concerned about the hospital's continued ability to attract high-calibre staff and research funding. "Funding bodies are more likely to be sympathetic in supporting research that is done in a hospital that has not only a national name, but a national reputation."

The former head of cardiology at Green Lane Hospital, Dr John Nuetze, said the name change was an "unbelievable disaster" and would affect the hospital's ability to attract staff. "It's not just the name, but the attitude that has overtaken the board."

Dr Nuetze said Green Lane was aware of its guilt over the heart scandal, in which babies' hearts were kept without parents' knowledge for research. "We were much too slow to appreciate what that would mean to families.

"Yes, there were errors, but it is wrong to use that as part of the decision. It has no merit."

In an echo of the Starship name-change furore, Herald readers have swamped the newspaper calling for the names to be retained.

And television personality Jude Dobson has jumped into bat for National Women's, fearing that the same depth of public feeling might not exist as for Starship.

Dobson, who was a nurse at National Women's in the 1980s and is due to give birth there in three weeks, said the hospital deserved to keep its name.

"A hospital with a national and international presence of over 50 years' standing should still maintain its name and the respect that they've earned from the work done under that name over the years."

Of the scandals, Dobson said: "We're all big people, we can get over that."

Mr Brown could not be reached for comment.

What Wayne Brown wants to forget

The "Unfortunate Experiment" at National Women's came to light in 1987. Women who received conservative treatment for cervical cancer in the 1960s did not know they were being used in an experiment to prove that more radical treatment was unnecessary.

Last year Green Lane Hospital admitted having kept 1334 hearts (many without consent) dating back 50 years for research. Families around the country were told by phone that their child's heart was in the hospital's heart library.

Readers Reaction

We asked readers about plans to rename the National Women's, Green Lane and Starship hospitals. The majority favoured the status quo.

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We are glad to see the name Starship retained - finally. It is just as important to retain the names National Women's and Green Lane, as they are brand names synonymous with high-quality care and innovative projects and research that have often resulted in saving lives.
-F. & B. Bell

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I wish to send my support for the retention of the names of the hospitals that are to be part of the new Auckland Central Hospital Complex.

Hospitals such as Starship, Green Lane and National Women's have won worldwide reputations. Their achievements have been written up in medical journals and other media across the world. These reputations are valuable for New Zealand's image.
-Doris Paterson

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I am a health professional, mother and long-time resident of the Green Lane/National Women's area. I write in support of Ron Jones and Tony Baird.

Both Green Lane and National Women's Hospitals have a strong international identity. They are both recognised brand names overseas, where health professionals ask to come to train and learn. From their presence we also gain. This transfer of graduates is an important part of medical learning which benefits Auckland and the rest of New Zealand.
-M. Clarke, Epsom

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I must say I agree entirely with doctors Ron Jones and Tony Baird concerning the name changes being considered for our Auckland hospitals. Surely it is counterproductive and expensive to change the names of our well-known institutions Green Lane Hospital and National Women's Hospital. The examples they gave of well-known overseas hospitals keeping their identity by not changing their names is very relevant.
-Adele Brandt

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From what I hear about the questionable name change, it appears that if these hospitals have their names changed it will have a deteriorating influence on these institutions.

Many hundreds and thousands of people both nationally and internationally will never recognise the proposed name, liquidating the dedicated hard work and talented skills of many doctors and other health workers for more than 50 years.
-Helena Marsh

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I feel very strongly that the names of these hospitals should not be changed. National Women's and Green Lane are national hospitals. I have been especially concerned about National Women's. The women of New Zealand put a lot of effort into getting this hospital started, and all of these hospitals have international reputations. There is no reason why they cannot be retained as entities at the amalgamated site.
-Joan MacDonald

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The title of National Women's Hospital should never be changed. This hospital has an impressive world-wide reputation in pre-natal, and obstetric care. My own first child was born there and received five months of intensive neo-natal care of the highest standard, which I have written about in a book to be published. Would you change the name of the Mayo Clinic, or Mt Cedar-Sinai? National Women's is on a par with these famous establishments. Norma Delgarno I can only agree wholeheartedly with Ron Jones and Tony Baird. Since when has either National Women's or Green Lane Hospital been solely for the people of Auckland? National Women's clearly states it is a hospital for the whole of NZ. After spending time in both hospitals, where I received excellent care, I must say that being admitted somewhere with the highest reputation helped alleviate fears. Having had a very rare type of cancer, I have been told that I would have been referred to Green Lane wherever in NZ I had lived.

I am sure that patients outside Auckland also associate these hospitals with top quality care. Surely the Auckland District Health Board has more important issues to concentrate on than changing the names of our hospitals.

It is bad enough that all services will be centralised almost in the CBD, where parking will be more atrocious than it is now. I know of one high-profile gynaecologist who is considering not working out of the new hospital because of the difficulties travelling in and out of Grafton.

Another blow to the women of NZ. As the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". L. Grant I agree with the sentiment of Ron Jones and Tony Baird's commentary about the National Women's Hospital, that it retain its much respected title as an identifiable marker of medical excellence gained over many years.

However, I am perplexed at how yet again another New Zealand women's health issue gains prominence in the New Zealand Herald, while men's health and longevity (which I know from a mountain of research languishes behind women's) is held in almost total obscurity by the New Zealand media, including your newspaper. Oh that men had the luxury of debating a name change for their own hospital too!
-Stephen Gee