Greymouth doctors fear for hospital's future

Loyal doctors are already considering leaving the West Coast amid grave concerns for the future of Grey Base Hospital - and warn patients could die if services decline.

The West Coast District Health Board yesterday released external submissions on its LECG report, which said the hospital had to change to survive the debt crisis and doctor shortages.

The report said specialists should be jointly appointed with the Canterbury DHB, and that the Coast board should focus on training doctors in rural health; Buller Hospital, in Westport, would be reduced to just two overnight beds.

However, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists assistant director Angela Belich, representing the doctors, said in her submission that some "longstanding and loyal" staff were looking at options other than Greymouth.

"The future hospital does not seem secure or appears to involve an unacceptable level of risk."

The doctors' union said the report should have been led by doctors, and could be chalked up as "hard won health funding misspent".

One of the union's own rural trainees said he would not work at Grey Base Hospital because there would be an "unacceptable level of risk".

"GPs ... commented that the LECG report mistakenly commented on the hospital, whereas the real crisis on the Coast was in general practice."

The union also said the report did not indicate any real cost savings.

Dr Paul Holt said the report was not viable - or safe. Surgeons would not want to operate without having specialists available for immediate consultation. Specialists would need to be on site to train up rural doctors - but there was no one to do that.

"It is likely that the risk of dying on the West Coast with an acute condition will be increased."

Medically, the hospital could end up as a "legal minefield" and many doctors might find it too hazardous to work there, Dr Holt said.

In addition, specialists would not shut their private practices for certain days of the week to work in Greymouth.

Dr Peter Kyriakoudis, a senior doctor at Grey Base Hospital, said it raised "very grave concerns" about the future of the hospital.

Without certain services, including the ability to carry out emergency caesarians and high level acute care, the West Coast would get Third World care.

Lives would be jeopardised when transport was not available, or the patient was too ill to move, he said.

"I personally will not be able to continue to work for the West Coast DHB if the specialist services at Greymouth are discontinued and 24-hour surgery is no longer offered, and I believe it will be such a disservice to the people of the West Coast."

Other comments include:

* Nurse Julie Lucas, 30 years' experience: "I wonder if this model ... would in fact jeopardise the lives of people living on the West Coast."

* Dr Roger Mills: GP service on the Coast is in crisis, with the report effectively suggesting more transfers to Canterbury.

* GP clinical leader at Buller Health, Dr Paul Cooper: "disappointed that Buller Health warranted only 10 lines on p51".

* Head of obstetrics and gynaecology Dr Vicki Robertson: not all Canterbury doctors will want to work in Greymouth.

- NZPA