Access to health for the disabled emerged as a strong theme at last night's consultation meeting in Dunedin over southern health services.
More than half the questions and comments at the last Southern District Health Board strategic health service plan meeting were from members of the disabled community.
One said wheelchairs and mobility scooters did not fit in some hospital wards; another said hospital staff expected patients with communication difficulties to have a support person, which was unreasonable.
Disability advocate Chris Ford said the plan lacked specific measures for the disabled.
Chief executive Carole Heatly promised to arrange a meeting with Dunedin's deaf community, and thanked the group for its feedback.
Other members of the audience asked about potentially contentious issues including shifting care to GP practices, population-based funding and access to specialist services.
Lyndon Weggery was concerned about cost-cutting and access to services at Dunedin Hospital, especially as it faced a ''tsunami'' of health needs from baby-boomers.
While the board made much of its deficit, it was a tiny proportion of annual revenue, he said.
He did not feel the management presentation that started the meeting had touched on the ''elephant in the room'' - the ''dysfunctional'' relationships between doctors and management.
Max Reid suggested managers go back to the Government and ask for more money, as he did not think population-based funding adequately recognised the southern board's large size.
Elspeth McLean, of Dunedin, asked why the board was not specific about the hospital specialties that might need to be consolidated with other DHBs.
Public reaction could depend on which specialties were affected, she said.
Ms Heatly responded with the example of cardiothoracic surgery, saying the South needed to draw South Canterbury patients to make the service viable.
One man asked about the suggested increased use of technology to deal with patients in rural areas.
He asked how doctors could examine patients remotely. Plan programme director Dr Pim Allen said there were different ways, but it could include photographs of conditions such as dermatitis inspected from afar.
To a question about impacts on GP funding, senior manager Sandra Boardman said services patients received now free in hospital should be free in a GP practice, so there would need to be changes.
Apart from health board staff and media, about 25 people attended the meeting.
Consultation on the plan ends on Friday.
