The issue of use of the hospital's new CT (computed axial tomography) scanner was raised by Waitaki District Health Services (WDHS) when it presented its half-yearly report on Tuesday to the Waitaki District Council, which owns the company.
The North Otago health service provider, which also operates Oamaru Hospital, last year invested in a new radiology department, including the scanner, and has been trying to get an agreement with the Otago District Health Board (ODHB) to have North Otago patients scanned in Oamaru instead of Dunedin.
However, former ODHB chairman Richard Thomson disputes claims by WDHS chairman George Berry over negotiations. Mr Thomson said he attempted to reach an agreement "at no marginal cost" to WDHS for the use of the scanner at Oamaru Hospital by North Otago patients but the proposal was not accepted.
"Any reluctance lies squarely in their [WDHS] apparent desire to make a profit out of the use of the scanner at the expense of health opportunities for people in the whole of the Otago region. This was not acceptable to me when I was chair," Mr Thomson said.
The proposal would have allowed North Otago people to be scanned at Oamaru Hospital at no additional cost to WDHS.
"They have rejected this offer," Mr Thomson said.
Mr Thomson emailed the Otago Daily Times with details of the offer he made in a letter to deputy chairman Ken Scott.
Having read the newspaper's report, Mr Thomson said he was not prepared to have his efforts misrepresented, as they appeared to be.
But Mr Berry, while acknowledging Mr Thomson's efforts in trying to reach an agreement, said the offer appeared to meet some difficulties from the Dunedin radiology department, which had previously provided the service for North Otago patients.
WDHS wanted its share of the radiology budget related to North Otago patients, so it could be spent at the Oamaru Hospital, saving people the cost of travelling to Dunedin and taking time off work.
In considering Mr Thomson's proposal, the directors of WDHS believed there was a larger issue of funding and service provision that needed to be resolved. It would have also meant a lesser level of service.
"Now this service is provided by Waitaki, the directors believe the relevant share of budget should be passed to us so we can provide service (including scanner services) for our own patients here," Mr Berry said.
He believed that could be provided at a lesser cost than the Dunedin scanner service.
Negotiations needed to be further progressed with the new ODHB chairman and board, which WDHS would be doing.
That had been on hold because of the transition to the new ODHB chairman.
Mr Berry said Mr Thomson's proposal would have meant accepting a lesser level of service than WDHS directors felt was reasonable, and on an arbitrary basis as to both the cost and continuance.
Some North Otago patients, including accident and emergency and in-patients, are treated at the Oamaru Hospital radiology department but at a cost to WDHS, from its bulk budget.
