KEY POINTS:
An unprovoked knife attack on a Palmerston North doctor by another doctor has left witnesses at the hospital shell-shocked.
A registrar suffered moderate stab wounds and needed stitches after a doctor attacked him during a regular team meeting at Palmerston North Hospital on Monday morning.
The attacker turned himself in to police later that morning, with the knife used in the attack. Police were not aware of the incident until the doctor turned up at the police station.
He is an overseas-trained doctor who was on a two-week clinical training placement at the hospital while being assessed by the Medical Council.
It is understood the doctor lost the plot during the meeting and threw a cup of coffee and a knife at the registrar.
Detective Sergeant Gary Mulligan said the attack was unprovoked and police were still working their way through witnesses.
"It is odd, and we're still trying to get to the bottom of it. It appears to be a deliberate attack but the reasons for it are unclear."
He said the alleged offender was not considered a risk to safety and he was freed on police bail.
The man is scheduled to appear in Palmerston North District Court today on a charge of wounding with intent to injure.
The victim was recovering at home in a comfortable condition.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell said the incident was unfortunate. "And it's highly unusual. It's no reflection on MidCentral [District Health Board] to the extent that it could have happened anywhere, in any setting, wherever tempers might flare."
The health board released a statement yesterday saying the incident happened in a non-clinical area of the hospital and there was a small number of witnesses.
"No patients or public were involved in the incident. MidCentral Health has systems and planning processes in place to manage a rare incident such as this and these were followed," the statement said.
The doctor's work was being supervised by a senior medical specialist, as is the routine for a doctor on a training placement, it said.
"The hospital continues to provide services and treat patients as usual."
