Patients make do with sub-par service as lab spat continues

Patients are having to make do with a local laboratory service that health funders consider unsatisfactory, as Diagnostic Medlab drags out its commercial fight with Labtests.

DML has refused to relinquish the lease on a South Auckland blood collection centre it is no longer using, because it is waiting to see if the new company's service falters.

This has left Labtests unable to offer more than a stop-gap service.

As the taxpayer-financed contract for community laboratory services in the Auckland region passes from DML to Labtests, the newcomer has taken over leases for a number of collection centres from DML.

But DML has said no to Labtests regarding its collection centre in Chapel Downs, adjacent to the medical practice at 124 Dawson Rd.

Labtests says it has been unable to find other suitable premises nearby in which to set up a new collection centre.

It has stationed one phlebotomist within the medical practice and says more than one is needed but there is insufficient space for this.

There are concerns that because of the high health and socio-economic needs of the area, some people will not have the necessary blood tests because of the limited service and possible lack of transport to go to the next nearest Labtests centre 1.5km away.

Mark Vella, chief executive of Total Healthcare Otara, the medical practice's primary health organisation, said patients often faced a long queue for the single phlebotomist, but this was better than having no local blood collections.

Tim Wood, laboratories project manager for the Auckland region's three district health boards, said the dispute was unfortunate.

"We are disappointed because in the end it's the patients that are disadvantaged, not the two providers."

"We've asked DML several times to reconsider their position. They refused. Unless the practitioners can get DML to change their view I think there is limited influence the DHBs can have."

DML chief executive Arthur Morris said some of its former premises went to Labtests because they were only on monthly leases "and we had no choice". Some were surrendered voluntarily because of the potential impact on an area.

"The rest we have held on to - to see what transpires."

When asked if this meant DML was waiting to see if Labtests was unable to provide the contracted service, he said: "That's right."

He mocked Labtests statements that it had based its collection centre network on a sophisticated demographic mapping system.

"Then we get a letter from the DHBs saying they [Labtests] are interested in 43 of our sites. If they are in the wrong place and too small, why would they want them."

He said it was the DHBs, not DML, which were playing with patients' lives.