Pathologists – homicide errors likely
Forensic pathologists are concerned by a proposed restructure of the national forensic pathology service, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says.
It says the service is on the brink of collapse, a situation worsened by Justice Minister Andrew Little refusing to intervene over a restructure proposed by the Ministry of Justice.
Little described the claims made by association executive director Ian Powell as inaccurate and ‘‘a total exaggeration’’.
Powell said the ministry had, for the past seven years, dragged out the process of determining the service’s future set-up. It now proposed fragmenting the service over four different providers, he said. Such structural change would have an impact on forensic pathologists’ ability to determine the cause of death in situations that are unclear or complex, or where it was suspected a crime might have occurred, Powell said.
He said the ministry’s decision ‘‘is driven by a deadly combination of bureaucratic incompetence and an ideological belief that a commercial ‘free market’ approach will sort things out’’.
Seven forensic pathologists are currently employed by the Auckland District Health Board, which holds the national contract. They perform and report on autopsies for the police and coroners in cases of suspicious death and homicide, and complex deaths. They deal with about 150 forensic cases annually.
The service has been underresourced for some time, and the ministry’s plans to scrap the national approach and replace it with different providers would be a backward step, Powell said.
‘‘There’s a worldwide shortage of forensic pathologists and the unsettled situation ... here makes it very difficult to recruit suitably trained people or to keep them.’’
Ministry chief operating officer Carl Crafar said the Government allocated $7 million in Budget 2018 to fund more resources, to provide for up to 10 fulltime equivalent forensic pathologists and three forensic trainees. It was part of moves to provide an improved and more resilient service, he said.
The positions would be based in Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington, at a mix of DHBs and privately-owned providers.
There was no driver towards a ‘‘free market’’ ideology; rather a recognition of the advantages of using a number of providers.
Changes to the forensic pathology service will be phased in from October 1.