Whanganui DHB Needs to live up to its name: Good Health says Turia

Local MP and Maori Party health spokesperson, Tariana Turia, today endorsed the views of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology that the two reports released yesterday on the state of health at Whanganui DHB and hospital are nothing more than superficial overviews that don't go deep enough.

“Our whanau and community in Whanganui have been literally reeling from the impacts of one bad report after another” said Mrs Turia.

Wanganui Hospital Clinical Review

“The Clinical Review report gives the background to eight clinical incidents that have occurred in the last three years, particularly the “impact of deterioration in SMO staff levels from the current safe level” said Mrs Turia.

“The appalling treatment of women revealed in the report’s comments about Dr Roman Hasil’s gynaecology surgery and obstetric technique require immediate response” said Mrs Turia.

“The public’s outrage has been validated by the clear statement of fact, “overall the reviewers concluded that for an impaired doctor to inflict so much patient injury undetected is highly unusual” (p18).

“Ultimately the buck stops with what the report describes as a “dysfunctional board” and with management, specifically “a serious lack of clinical leadership”” said Mrs Turia.

“The confidence of the wider community has been shattered by the botched tubal ligation operations, and the tragic fatality of a woman who died from an undetected heart problem” said Mrs Turia.

“It is no good, saying that just because our hospital compares favourably with other hospitals, that we allow the leadership deficiencies and the board’s performance to continue on its merry way” said Mrs Turia.

“When life is at stake, it’s not about putting up with more of the same – we must demand that the highest standards of good health and well-being apply to all hospitals - Whanganui must do all it can to live up to its name- "Good Health”.

“The Whanganui Hospital report confirms that like other hospitals, it was difficult to persuade busy clinicians to conduct audits, that comparatively little systematic audits of clinical outcomes or surveillance is undertaken, and that “bitter internecine behaviour of longstanding has destroyed previously effective professional processes” in the General Surgery department”.

"Since when has it been acceptable for destructive staffing conflicts to jeopardise the health of their patients, what happened to the Hippocratic oath?" asked Mrs Turia

“I am really concerned about the state of the sector, if despite the need for clinical quality improvement, the report concludes that the level of safety is acceptable compared with the majority of New Zealand’s public hospitals” said Mrs Turia.

“What on earth is that telling us about the hospital system nationwide?”