KEY POINTS:
An outgoing consultant surgeon has criticised safety standards at Wanganui Hospital saying that patients lives are being put at risk.
Clive Solomon said the hospital had never been as unsafe or morale as low as at present and he called on the Ministry of Health to step in.
"There comes a time when someone has to say stop. 'Stop, assess and ask for help'," he told the Wanganui Chronicle.
"This time has come for me and Wanganui Hospital. The hospital has never been this unsafe, morale as low or staff so short.
"We cannot continue without outside help. The continuing attempt to simply plug the holes will destroy us."
Mr Solomon said many factors were responsible for the current situation.
"Many are beyond our control, but the culture of management over the last five years has been extremely unhealthy, causing the loss of very many senior staff - many due to absolute despondency.
"I feel that for myself now, and that is felt by many of my colleagues, nurses and administrative staff.
"I always said that I would support this hospital as long as it was safe. I no longer believe this to be the case.
"We do not have obstetricians to attend our emergency pregnant patients, paediatricians to attend our children, junior and senior doctors to staff the hospital, or adequate access to radiology.
"We need to ask what level of standards we will accept. When do we say this is no longer acceptable?".
Whanganui District Health Board chief executive Memo Musa told the newspaper that doctor numbers had suffered a significant "drop" but the hospital was continuing with its recruitment drive to bring numbers back up to strength of required general surgeons.
He said that specialists the hospital was currently seeking included obstetricians, gynaecologists and an orthopaedic surgeon.
And as from Monday it would only have about nine junior doctors instead of the 18 it is entitled to.
- NZPA
