Mike Hunter, clinical leader of intensive care at Dunedin Hospital, complained on Thursday to the Director-general of Health that a member of the panel, Adelaide neurosurgeon Glenn McCulloch, allegedly told other neurosurgeons at a conference last year that he thought Dunedin's days of offering neurosurgery were "numbered".
Mr McCulloch is a member of the panel to advise the Director-general of Health, Stephen McKernan, about the South Island's neurosurgery service, as the Southern and Canterbury district health boards cannot agree whether the service will be delivered from one site or two.
Mr McKernan responded to Mr Hunter's complaint in a letter to Southern District Health Board chief executive Brian Rousseau yesterday.
Mr McKernan said Mr McCulloch told him the comment to retired Dunedin neurosurgeon Sam Bishara was made in response to a question on the future viability of Dunedin Hospital's neurosurgery unit as a stand-alone training unit under Royal Australasian College of Surgeons guidelines.
In reaching agreement that a single integrated service was required, South Island chief executives would already have been mindful that a stand-alone unit in Dunedin would not meet the College's guidelines, Mr McKernan noted.
He said Mr McCulloch's observation of the college's requirements was accurate and simply reflected what South Island chief executives had already recognised, that there should be one South Island neurosurgery service and any unit in Dunedin should be part of that.
With regards to Mr Hunter's concerns that two of the appointments on the panel - Mr McCulloch and chairwoman Anne Kolbe - represented viewpoints from big cities, Mr McKernan said Mr McCulloch's appointment came highly recommended from the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia.
He had asked both of the panel members to call Mr Hunter to discuss his concerns.
Mr Hunter last night acknowledged the response. He said he looked forward to further discussions with the advisory panel, but had no further comment to make at this stage.
