APOLOGY SOUGHT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 169, 20 July 1942, Page 4

APOLOGY SOUGHT

ACTION BY DOCTORS ANAESTHETIC WORK As the outcome of criticism by the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, Mr. Allan J. Moody, 0 f the standard of administration of anaesthetics at the Auckland Hospital during the past two years, the resident medical officers, numbering 20 have decided to refrain from giving anaesthetics, except in cases of urgency, until an unconditional apology is made. The statement made by Mr. Moody was published last Tuesday and since then practically all anaesthetics have been administered by senior officers, who include one surgical and two medical registrars, or by honorary anaesthetists. Medical Officers' Statement A statement issued by the resident medical officers says: "A blunt statement that there had been 16 deaths in the operating theatres in the last two years would naturally be shocking to the public. But an analysis of these deaths which appeared in the public Press revealed that conditions are far from shocking. Of the 16 deaths, a number occurred of patients brought into the hospital in a dying condition and for whom an operation held the sole chance of survival. "In other cases it was shown by post-mortem examination that death would have occurred unexpectedly irrespective of the administration of an anaesthetic. In the very small number of cases where death was held to be attributable to the anaesthetic, evidence was heard by an' experienced coroner and in each case he gave the decision that the anaesthetic had been skilfully administered and that there was no evidence of negligence or incompetence on the I part of the anaesthetist. "The resident medical staff who have given the majority of anaesthetics with results comparing most favourably with those of any other hospital now feel they cannot undertake the responsibility of administering anaesthetics while under the mental strain of the chairman's public denunciation. Full Care of Patients "On no account must this be taken to imply that the step will involve any diminution in the care given the patients by the resident staff. In every doctor's mind is that thought that the patient comes first." It was mentioned verbally by a representative of the resident staff that already there was evidence of Mr. Moody's statement having affected public confidence, some parents having been reluctant to agree to the admission of a child for an operation. The stand the residents were taking, it was added, -was carrying out to the letter the existing instruction of the board that in all cases the services of an honorary anaesthetist should be sought in the first instance. Mr. Moody declined to make any comment when the matter was referred to him this morning.