A review is underway following the death of a man at Buller Hospital. Photo / File
A review is underway following the death of a man at Buller Hospital. Photo / File
The family of a man whose recent death at Buller Hospital sparked an investigation is still waiting to be contacted by Health NZ as patient advocates highlight the dire state of West Coast healthcare.
Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora launched the investigation on August 6 after the death of a Filipino man at the Westport-based health centre in July, as reported by Westport News.
Patient Voice Aotearoa chairman Malcolm Mulholland, today delivering a 3000-strong petition to Parliament on Buller’s healthcare needs, said he’d been in contact with the man’s wife in the Philippines who had reportedly received no contact from Health NZ following her husband’s death.
“The lack of communication with that family is of extreme concern,” Mulholland said.
“[Health Minister Dr Shane Reti] should be picking up the phone asking Te Whatu Ora, [chief executive] Margie Apa, what the hell is going on there because [the man’s wife] has no idea what’s going on, she didn’t even know that there was an investigation into his death.”
Mulholland noted one of the tragic circumstances of the incident was one of the man’s four daughters was training to become a nurse and wanted to work at Buller Hospital.
“That’s gone up in smoke.”
Patient Voice Aotearoa chairman Malcolm Mulholland (left) and father George, who hail from Buller, deliver a petition at Parliament urging MPs to act urgently to address the dire state of Buller healthcare. Photo / Adam Pearse
A Health NZ spokeswoman this afternoon said their “sincere condolences” were with the man’s family and said the family would be included in the review process “as it progresses”.
They noted the death was also subject to a Health and Disability Commissioner complaint and a coronial inquiry.
Reti said he expected Health NZ to make “appropriate approaches” to the man’s family and would be encouraging staff to do so.
The Health Minister was absent from Parliament’s forecourt today as Mulholland and his father George, who hail from Buller, gave their petition calling for urgent action to address the West Coast’s health workforce issues to Labour’s health spokeswoman Dr Ayesha Verrall outside Parliament at midday today.
At 2pm, Reti said he had a scheduling conflict and could not meet with Mulholland but claimed one of his staff had caught up with Mulholland casually and expressed his position on Buller Hospital and the review.
After Mulholland told the Herald he hadn’t met with anyone from Reti’s office, it was later clarified a staff member had provided Reti with unclear information
Earlier today, Reti said he would wait for the review to conclude in about three months before considering any interventions at Buller Hospital.
He said he was assured of the facility’s ability to deal with immediate issues while the investigation took place.
“The local team are continuing to work around the health workforce and how we can continue to build up health workforce in West Coast and in Buller.”
Reti wouldn’t give a view on what led to the man’s death but did note Health NZ had said the hospital was staffed at the time.
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti expects Health NZ to engage with the deceased man's family. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Mulholland’s petition, signed by 3115 from across Buller communities, highlighted how the hospital - running for little more than a year - had been closed 11 times due to staffing issues.
“So when people need emergency services, they’re at sixes and sevens, they can’t turn up to the local hospital to get the care that they need.”
Also of concern to Mulholland was the paucity of resources for the area. He said there was only one helicopter that operated out of Greymouth and one ambulance in Westport that was largely occupied with transporting people out of town.
He said residents were considering leaving the region due to the unreliable nature of their healthcare services.
“I would hope that [MPs] would sit up and listen, I know that the folks of Buller and Westport are really keen to engage with the politicians to try and find solutions.”
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
