“Health boss should stop personal attacks”

28 June 2006

“Health boss should stop personal attacks”

“Health boss John Peters, Nelson Marlborough DHB chief executive, should stop making personal attacks on experts who are critical of the proposed privatisation of the Nelson Hospital laboratory,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.

Mr Powell was referring to Mr Peters’ accusation that Canterbury pathologists had a vested interest in criticising the privatisation proposal.

“This is an inept attempt to discredit those with greater expertise than Mr Peters in laboratory testing. Currently the Nelson hospital laboratory receives high quality and invaluable support from the Canterbury hospital laboratory which Mr Peters’ privatisation proposal threatens to destroy.

The Canterbury pathologists’ sole motivation is quality of care and service. They want to support their Nelson colleagues who strongly oppose this dangerous privatisation. If this is a vested interest then let’s have more of it.”

“The District Health Board made its recommendation to privatise without the benefit of the clinical, professional and operational expertise of its own specialist staff. Mr Peters’ claims of proper consultation are misleading and untrue. He confuses consultation with telling people what is going to happen.”

“Presently the Nelson Hospital laboratory provides a high quality service. There is widespread recognition of this by senior doctors in Nelson and Marlborough. Why on earth would any sane person seek to replace a proven quality service with an unproven one?”

“We also welcome the support of Kaikoura MP Colin King and hope that he will continue to speak out on the matter,” concluded Mr Powell.

ENDS

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