Health Minister Exposes Doctors to Huge Risk
The Health Minister is exposing doctors to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of personal risk, ACT Health
Spokesman Heather Roy said today.
"Yesterday's Privy Council decision that doctors can be sued for exemplary damages over unintended errors means the
Health Minister cannot continue to expose health professionals to an unfair burden of stress and overwork".
"As more and more health professionals leave New Zealand, those remaining are left to "do their best" under difficult
conditions".
"Doctors and other health professionals will be placed in the position of facing legal action as individuals for
unintended errors made as a result of faults that lie within the system".
"It is time for the Minister to come clean and admit that doctors and other health professionals have to make some
tough decisions on clinical matters because of the limited resources available to them. If she fails to do so, she
places every New Zealand health professional in a perilous situation," Mrs Roy said.