KEY POINTS:
Spending on locum doctors in hospitals could spiral beyond $100 million a year, National's health spokesman Tony Ryall said.
He estimates that by the end of this financial year the contracting-out of locums by District Health Boards to cover doctor shortages will have doubled in the past three years.
He predicted Waikato District Health Board alone would have spent $5.7 million on locum support by the end of June - up $3.7 million on 2004 when just $1.99 million was spent.
The Waikato Board administers Thames Hospital where there is a critical shortage of doctors.
"Huge gaps" were emerging in the health workforce and "there is far too much bureaucracy and the senior doctors are out of the loop".
Medical skill shortages were high on the agenda at a public meeting held in Thames last night, where the community met to gain an understanding of what was happening at their hospital.
People from Paeroa to Whitianga were there, frustrated at what they believe is a declining standard of healthcare in their region.
The Waikato DHB has been defending its management of Thames Hospital for the past fortnight against accusations of dangerous staff shortages and embarrassing communication slip-ups.
DHB board member Sally Christie and general manager of health services Jan Adams have insisted that staff shortages merely reflect a nationwide problem.
Ms Adams has refused to call the situation a crisis, despite the hospital's clinical director Dr John Lennane publicly stating that he nearly shut the hospital at the beginning of May as there was no doctor available to cover an evening shift.
He said patient safety was at an unacceptable level of risk.
Medical officers of special scale - with about six years' experience - should number six at Thames, but that will fall to two this month following recent resignations.
Ms Adams said since July last year $690,537 had been given to locums to cover special scale doctor shortages at the hospital, with $501,132 spent in the past six months.
She told the Herald this week that there had to be a balance between spending money on locums and performing operations.
The DHB said the hospital's $16.9 million upgrade due to begin in June, and the secondment of Waikato Hospital's Dr Clyde Wade, would help build confidence.
The Herald has learned that Ms Adams this week received from Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson a letter saying he was pleased to see steps being taken to rectify a communication problem regarding the discontinuation of obstetrics and gynaecology services from the hospital since November last year.
The communication gap led some GPs to continue to refer patients to Thames instead of Waikato Hospital.
Mr Paterson apologised to GPs in Paeroa and Waihi on behalf of the DHB and expressed concern that such services had been withdrawn for women in the Coromandel, Thames, Waihi, Paeroa and Hauraki.
Temp Doctors
* Doctor shortages at Thames Hospital have put the spotlight on the soaring costs of employing locums.
* Locums cost $46 million in 2002 in NZ.
* The cost is predicted to top $100 million when the June 2007 financial year ends.
* A public meeting was held in Thames last night to reassure the public that its hospital is safe.
