I am a recent immigrant to New Zealand and a histo/cytopathologist at Diagnostic Medlab (DML) in Auckland, but I am writing this post as a concerned Auckland resident.
As some of you may know, the three Auckland District Health Boards (DHBs) recently decided not to renew DML's contract to provide laboratory services to the Auckland region. As of 1 July 2007, all of the lab testing that DML currently provides (over 30,000 specimens on over 10,000 patients every day) will be performed by Labtests Auckland, an organization with no facilities, no staff and no accreditation. Coincidentally, Labtests Auckland's CEO, Dr. Tony Bierre, is a member of one of the Auckland DHBs that awarded the contract to his company.
Labtests has already indictated that they plan to close nearly half of DML's collection sites (DML would have had to take similar action to meet the DHBs cost cutting target) and that they will increase the turn-around-time (the time between when your blood or tissue is taken and when your doctor gets the results) on all "non-urgent" tests.
Labtests has also claimed that they are interested in purchasing DML's central facility in Ellerslie. DML's parent company, Sonic Healthcare, has assured us and our shareholders that the facility will not be sold to another laboratory. Labtests is also claiming that DML's pathology staff is enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by the new consortium. Nothing could be further from the truth, as has been indicated in a recent letter signed by the majority of the DML pathology staff.
What does all of this mean to you? Well, considering that approximately 70% of medical decisions are based upon the results of laboratory testing, the health care of all Aucklanders could be in grave danger beginning next 1 July.
DML has provided an excellent service to doctors and patients in the Auckland area for nearly 70 years. It has taken generations of pathologists decades to create the world class company that exists today. What Labtests has claimed that it will be able to do, namely, duplicate our facilities and services, in less than one year, with no staff, has never been done anywhere in the world. Our health care is not worth this gamble.
If you find all of this rather disturbing, go to
http://www.dontriskourhealth.com/
and read the news articles (articles from both sides of the debate are presented), and if you live in the Auckland area and you remain concerned, sign the online petition requesting that the DHBs re-open the tender process. Keep watching that site, the NZ Herald and TV One (CloseUp is investigating the decision) for more information. Also, be sure to tell everyone that you know who might be impacted by this decision. This battle is far from over...
Jeff