Strike delays teen's cancer care again

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

Industrial action has interrupted treatment of 16-year-old Simon Gillingham's brain tumour for the second year running and he fears delays could make his condition worse.

And while the Auckland District Health Board girds for a fresh round of radiographers' strikes starting on Thursday, tensions between staff and management are boiling over.

Last year, when Simon's tumour was considered inoperable, radiotherapy to shrink it was delayed by the therapists' strike at Auckland Hospital.

Now neurosurgeon Dr Andrew Law is prepared to operate, but the surgery has been deferred because of walk-outs by radiographers.

"It's pretty frustrating," said Simon, of Bucklands Beach in south-east Auckland.



Dr Law said yesterday that Simon's tumour was growing slowly. Deterioration of his condition was unlikely because of the delay, "but I don't know".

Last Thursday, Simon received a letter from Auckland Hospital saying he would be admitted yesterday for surgery today.

But within hours of the letter's arrival, the hospital cancelled the appointment.

Simon's mother, Lyn Gillingham, said that after she complained to Health Minister Annette King's office an official phoned to say the operation could be done in several weeks, but gave no specific date.

The health board is cancelling nearly all non-urgent surgery and many outpatient clinics at Auckland, Starship, Green Lane and National Women's hospitals from today in preparation for the 48-hour strikes starting on Thursday and the following Monday.

Board spokeswoman Brenda Saunders said the plan was to reduce the number of patients needing the x-rays and scans performed by radiographers, so that non-striking radiographers could concentrate on "absolute emergencies".

The board says it will put an improved pay offer to the union tomorrow in line with radiographer pay rises at the Waitemata and Counties Manukau health boards.

Simon, a Macleans College pupil who has sat sixth-form subjects as well as one Bursary and one university paper this year, was diagnosed with a tumour in September last year.

During an operation to drain a brain haemorrhage, the surgeon considered the tumour inoperable because it extends into Simon's brainstem, the stalk of nerve tissue that links the brain to the spinal cord.

Radiotherapy, which he had to wait 12 weeks to start, instead of the planned six, shrank the tumour a little.

Mrs Gillingham said it was considered unlikely that all of the tumour could be removed during one operation.

But if the surgery was successful, it could extend Simon's life "well into adulthood, which, compared with a few months, is pretty good to us".

She is angry Simon has been caught up twice in strikes.

"It's horrendous and incredibly stressful. The longer he's left the higher the risk is of the operation and the less likely they will be able to get it out.

"For a 16-year-old to go through this political crap effectively two years running because of strike action - to me, it shouldn't be allowed to happen.

"There should not be allowed to be strikes that prevent people having critical care. Does it take someone dying before someone will sit up and say this needs to be done?"

At the board's hospitals, staff-management relations have sunk so low that chief operating officer Marek Stepniak has warned workers about "professional and respectful behaviour".

An email on Friday from him to all staff and obtained by the Herald said he was "deeply saddened" by two episodes of "unacceptable behaviour".

On Wednesday, some Auckland District Health Board staff wore stickers that read, "I'm ashamed to work for ADHB".

The same day an anonymous computer user emailed thousands of staff urging a Green Lane manager resign after some non-striking cardiac staff were shouted lunch during a walkout by heart and lung technologists.

Mr Stepniak yesterday said the stickers had been destroyed and the instigator had apologised. This week management would speak to an individual about the "abusive email".

Herald feature: Our sick hospitals