DOCTOR STALEMATES BOARD

NZ Truth, Issue 1302, 27 November 1930, Page 3

DOCTOR STALEMATES BOARD

Farcical Position Arises Over Resident Medical Practitioner y > DISMISSAL THREAT NOT <JAk^IED OUT ■■'"':' (From "N.Z. Truth's" Murchison Representative.) ' They are having lots of fun at Murchison at the moment specula-ing^on the stalemate that has arisen m the argument m progress between Dr. Louis Hamito. Potaka, and the Murchison County Council and the Nelson Hospital Board, the latter body having appointed the medico as resident medical practitioner on a subsidy basis. • ■_ While the trouble originally arose over the question of a residence for the^ doctor, certain alleged acts of Dr. Potaka's later led to a request for his resignation which he refused to hand m. Threats of dismissal followed, hut a goodly section of the public is proPotaka and so the position stands with honors about even.

HAS the board lost its nerve since • it published its intention to dismiss the doctor? In any case it hasn't yet appointed a successor; and Dr.' Potaka is still perform'ng his duties as. resident medical practitioner at Mu'rc'hison. : Murchison does not appear to suit the health of its medical men, for there have been eleven doctors, m the d.'strict m as many years. A Dr. Potaka arrived .in Murchison immediately after the A earthquake which wrought -such devastation m. the district mV June of last year. No time could have been more unpropitious, but, during - the ensuing period of hai-dship and suspense, Dr. Potaka worked unt'ringly under the most adverse conditions. > At, the end of three months he left to take up another position, but before doing so, he indicated" his willingness to .return provided that a proper house was found for him. It is the question of this »house which has apparently been the bone of contention between the doctor and the Murchison County Council, and. when • Dr.y Potaka ' eventually did return to Murphison m A June of this year, trouble very quickly developed. Under the terms of its agreement with the Nelson Hospital Board, the y Murchison County Council, was required to provide a y free ho use 1 for the resident medical practitioner, j. However', the doctor's house, along with the majority of the other dwellings m the settlement,, had been considerably damaged by .the- 'quake, and it was therefore found necessary to carry out extensive repairs. When Dr. Potaka arrived m Murchison on June '. 9, 1930, he had given the Nelson Hospital Board' a . definite undertaking to remain for a term of .three years. in the district, but on the distinct condition that a , satisfactory residence was to be provided. ; it speedily became apparent, however, that the doctor's idea /of what constituted, a satisfactory residence and that of the county council' on the same subject, did. not coincide. , The upshot of it all was that after. a sharp disagreement over the plans, the doctor wrote, a letter to the council m which he set "out the grounds for his dissatisfaction with the altei-ations -Which were being carried . out, and stated definitely that unless gome change was made, he would not use

the house as a' residence, but merely as a consulting room. y ' v , This letter, however, concluded with the following passage to which the ouhcil apparently attached sig>i:'ficanceT ' " •' - "I contracted to return for three years, if the Nelson .Hospital Board provided- a. stipulated subsidy- and a satisfaction residence was given me. The NelscftV Hospital Board has kept its part of the contract, and unless the. Murchison County Council ke;ps its part I do not feel bound, and shall leave here at my own convenience." Exactly what consideration this letter was given "Truth" cannot say, but m reply, dated September 1, the county chairman, Mr. H. J. Stewart, construed it as 1 follows: "As your fetter states it is your intention to resign unless what you asked for m your letter under | ' reply is granted, I am forwarding •" the' letter on to the Nelson Hospital Board with a statement of the facts." This, apparently aggravated the already strained relations, as the doctor

Doctor's Letters

took the attitude that his letter contained no mention of a resignation, and that, the county chairman-' was placing a wrong construction upon it. f It was then that the doctor wrote a series of extraordinary letters to- tne county chairman, the then couiifcy clerk, and the Editor of the Murchison "Standard," which he accompanied by a number of facetiously intended giftS. '-.'■',.;. These included bottles of sleeping draught for the two county officers, toy' sets of building ma?, terials-and a tiny tots A.B.C. book. As a result of this levity on the part of the doctor, and the nature of several of his letters, the Nelson' Hospital Board and the Director-General I of Health were apprised of the po'sij tion and a committee from the board visited Murchison to interview the resident medical practitioner. .' The exact outcome of this interview has never-been published, but Dr. Potalca. expressed , himself as perfectly willing to apologise for anjr-

thing m the letters which was. considered objectionable.,' This he did at a council meeting; but the council apparently did not consider ah'apology sufficient, and asked the Nelson Hospital Board to dismiss Dr. Pptaka and replace . him . immediately. ~ ; When the news of this actiori spread through the district, there was a strong counter-movement,' and a petition was hurriedly circulated asking that, the doctor should' be retained. Over 650 adult signatures were obtained, and the petition was duly forwarded to Nelson where it was placed hefore the Hospital Board. >The board finally requested Dr. Potaka to forward his resignation. Thishe refused to do, and a- public meeting was called which was held on September 30. ,This meeting moved a motion of confidence in-, the' doctor, to be followed by an amendment which stated that m view of the fact that the doctor had apologised, his serviceshould be retained, although he should be m no way exonerated from blame. Then another amendment was moved to the effect _ that neither the doctor nor the council should be exonerated from blame, but ' that m . -view..- of the fact that the former had apologised, his services should be retained and the Nelson Hospital Board be asked to reconsider its request for his resignation. . This was put to the meeting and carried, although, according to the "Standard," some 50 persons did not record their votes. Even this, however, apparently made no difference to the council's : attitude, for although the chairman promised to hold a special meeting of; the council to consider the request of the public meeting, the matter was, dealt with again -by the • Nelson Hospital Board ■before this special meeting was held. The ' town committee of the board, which had been handling the matter, then reported that the doctor had recused to . resign and it was decided, according to press reports of tlie meet- j ing, to giv.e him notice of dismissal! But. that apparently is as far as the board has proceeded, for although this motion was carried at the' September meeting, Dr. Potaka^ has not yet received the threatened notice of dismissal. Meanwhile, he is living at an hotel and carrying on as before, while the much-discussed doctor's house has been, let by the council.

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