Commisioner Kathy Grant declined to be interviewed yesterday about the patient harm cluster in ophthalmology, but says she has confidence in Southern District Health Board medical oversight and governance. In a statement, Mrs Grant said she was told about Dunedin Hospital's ophthalmology waiting list problem in the middle of this year. This week the board revealed 30 patients suffered partial sight loss in 2015-16 because of overdue appointments, on top of a group of four patients the year before. ''The problem has been exacerbated by the state of our information systems not being able to clearly identify this issue,'' Mrs Grant said. Interim chief executive Chris Fleming said in a statement Mrs Grant ''will not be giving interviews''.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 01, 2016 17:08 UTC