‘Racist’ request riles
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about, was this expression of, well, I’d call it racism.’’
The couple ended up agreeing to bring the passport back the next day.
Palms chief operations officer Bob Lissington said the issue likely stemmed from a misunderstanding.
While he couldn’t comment on the alleged remarks of the receptionist, racial profiling wasn’t part of the centre’s way of operating, he said.
When a casual patient comes to the centre, it was policy to check their name against a national register that includes the patients of every GP in the country.
If their name doesn’t show up, the receptionist will ask for an NHI number or a passport as proof of citizenship to show they’re eligible for the governmentsubsidised rates.
‘‘That’s not an uncommon practice.
‘‘I think most New Zealanders would likely be up in arms if we didn’t make sure people weren’t getting something the weren’t entitled to.’’
He said Chompinitkul’s name might not have shown up, even if she was registered at another GP, because of a spelling error by either the Palms receptionist or when her name was first entered on the register.
‘‘[I understand] it must have been frustrating, and the receptionist could possibly have handled things better, but going forward there should be less misunderstandings like this.’’