KEY POINTS:
The downfall of Wanganui Hospital gynaecologist Roman Hasil after a string of botched sterilisation operations has highlighted the risks involved in bringing foreign-trained doctors into our health system.
Dr Hasil, who resigned from the hospital last Monday, is being investigated by Whanganui District Health Board and the Health and Disability Commissioner for failed sterilisations last year which have left six women pregnant.
The Czech-born gynaecologist is now believed to have left the country.
Professional bodies representing surgeons in New Zealand yesterday expressed their unease about the difficulties faced by smaller regional hospitals in attracting qualified and experienced specialists, and supervising foreign doctors once they get here.
Dr Alec Ekeroma, chairman of the New Zealand branch of the Royal Australasian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, criticised Dr Hasil's performance.
His failure rate was "too high" and therefore he was not competent to perform the procedure, he said.
"Our trainees can perform these operations with no problems."
The college was not involved in assessing Dr Hasil's qualifications or experience, as there was no obligation for the hospital to contact the organisation.
"We have been asking to be involved in the assessment [of foreign doctors] to ensure that high standards are maintained," Dr Ekeroma said.
Dr Mark Stegman, a gynaecologist who resigned from Wanganui Hospital last September over workload issues, and was Dr Hasil's supervising doctor, also had concerns about his performance.
His worries were not about his technical skills as a surgeon, but more of a personal nature.
"I think the failed sterilisations and certain other mishaps were due to a lack of care, possibly because of issues going on in his personal life."
The failed sterilisations came to light in October last year, after Dr Stegman had left the hospital, and while Dr Hasil was on special leave.
At the time Dr Hasil went on leave, the hospital was in the process of making his supervision more stringent.
It has been revealed that about 80 per cent of the doctors at Wanganui Hospital are foreign-trained, a figure considered "exceptionally high" by New Zealand Medical Council chairman John Campbell.
Dr Stegman acknowledged the workload involved in supervising foreign doctors in smaller hospitals was onerous.
The situation at Wanganui reflected wider workforce shortages, most particularly in smaller centres, Professor Campbell told Radio New Zealand.
It was "very difficult" to attract senior clinicians to places the size of Wanganui, partly because of the heavy burden they faced with on-call work.
Professor Campbell said "bigger and better" regional alliances needed to be considered so that services were spread over a bigger area and the on-call workload was diluted.
He said the council stood by its procedure for checking Dr Hasil's qualifications and references but admitted it could do more to provide better support for foreign doctors when they arrived.
* The health board has set up a hotline to help affected patients: 0800 222 391.
Record failure
* The failure rate for "keyhole" sterilisation is about 1 in 200
* Dr Roman Hasil's rate was six out of 32.
- NZPA
