Emergency room doctor attacked by patient

A senior emergency department doctor, who was punched and kicked by a drunken patient at Waikato Hospital on Saturday night, was today discussing with police the potential for pressing charges.

His patient had earlier in the night put his arm through a plate glass window, and was wandering around the emergency department dripping blood, hospital spokeswoman Mary Anne Gill said.

He entered a cubicle where a 97-year-old woman was getting treatment.

"I stopped him and asked him to go back to his bed and he refused," the male doctor said in a statement. "I asked again and he started swearing at me, then he hit me four times in the face and kicked me."

Security guards and police subdued the man but could not take him away as his arm needed urgent medical attention.

Health Waikato chief operating officer Jan Adams said the attack was "cowardly".

"These are our frontline clinical staff being attacked," she said. "It's simply unacceptable and the public and our staff need to know we're going to act on it," she said.

"We don't believe our staff should have to put up with this.

"We're here to provide essential hospital services to the public and our efforts are diverted by these sorts of things," said Mrs Adams.

"It's seriously ill people suffering because of these drunken fools and members of the public with no respect for the fact this is a hospital.

"It's time we started standing up to these people and we'll be talking with police about how together we can sort this out."

Options included a review of visiting hours, security screening in the emergency department and a boosted police presence on campus were all options for discussion, she said.

"This guy caused trouble right from the start," said the doctor. It was not uncommon for such troublemakers to be treated earlier than was medically warranted, simply to move them on.

"It's a waste of our resources particularly when there are more deserving cases (in the queue for attention)."

It was the second time in a month hospital staff have come under pressure from unwelcome quarters.

Three teenage gang members had hospital trespass notices slapped on them for intimidating staff and patients while visiting a friend.

One of the gang members returned today but was taken away by security staff.

- NZPA