Privatising the Otago Fertility Service (OFS) is a ''retrograde step'', the clinical director who fought to save the service says.
Prof Wayne Gillett has argued that lifting a cap on private patients could have saved the Southern District Health Board in-house service.
The board said this was not feasible, and the service would be privatised.
''I am very disappointed that the board did not accept our submission for the OFS to continue to provide both secondary and tertiary services for our region. Although I accept there are arguments about size and vulnerability, and their inherent risk, it is clear that the board did not accept our strong submission of the alternative view,'' Prof Gillett said in a written statement to the Otago Daily Times.
Prof Gillett said the financial situation could have been turned around, from a deficit to surplus, if a historic cap was lifted on private patients. At present, the service carries out 25-30 IVF cycles for private patients each year.
''By retaining the service our submission was to capture this market and increase private revenue,'' he said.
Outsourcing split the service from other hospital departments it worked closely with, which was a ''retrograde step''. Prof Gillett said he had been reassured by the board a high level of clinical service would be retained in Dunedin, which was pleasing, because losing it would be a threat to Dunedin Hospital and the University of Otago. The changeover process would be smooth, and patients would suffer no disruption.
''I am anxious that people under our care will be very concerned about their future. I can reassure them that our dedicated staff will do their utmost to ensure any transition from the OFS to another provider will be a seamless and stress-free process for them.''
Public Service Association southern region organiser Julie Morton said she did not think the board made the right decision in privatising a service whose financial situation could be turned around.
The handling of this week's announcement was ''a shocker'', as the board initially claimed a much higher deficit figure in the decision document released on Monday.
She said Prof Gillett and others had worked hard to correct the notion the service sustained a $130,000 deficit, but this was still the figure in the final decision. It was corrected subsequently to a $49,000 deficit. The error caused great upset when the document was released.
''Some of that simple stuff is really important,'' Ms Morton said.
Women's children and public health medical director Dr Marion Poore confirmed by email this week board members got the correct figure when they made the decision to outsource the service earlier this month.
She said the ''hypothetical'' financial modelling showing the private market could be tapped for more revenue was unrealistic because the service was already not meeting expected private volumes.
