New report from Health and Disability Commissioner reveals more problems at Waikato DHB
A report just released by the Health and Disability Commissioner has revealed more problems at the Waikato District Health Board
30 July 2018
They revolve around an orthopaedic surgeon who was hired from overseas, in spite of strong evidence he had communication problems, and issues with his demeanour and personality.
Written complaints about him started in 2013, but were dealt with under a manual system.
The surgeon's supervisor and a new business manager weren't aware of the complaints, so an emerging pattern wasn't evident.
The HDC says a fifth complaint in 2014 involved a patient requiring revision surgery.
Finally a colleague of the doctor threatened to resign if issues weren't addressed, and an extension to the doctor's contract was cancelled.
The Waikato DHB was found to have breached consumer rights by its lack of care in how it employed the surgeon, failing to secure recent references and not having systems in place to detect an emerging pattern of complaints.
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