MedicAlert® CEO challenges DHB’s attitude

MedicAlert® CEO challenges DHB’s attitude

The husband of Eunice Richardson who died after her MedicAlert Medical ID was ignored by health professionals, has said he saw a report that stated the DHB do not rate Medical IDs very highly and they think doctors over report on it.

When asked about this attitude, MedicAlert® Foundation CEO Mr Murray Lord said MedicAlert® occasionally hears anecdotally about incidents where Medical IDs may have been ignored, but in his experience this attitude is not prevalent.

MedicAlert® has supported Mr Richardson because it appears the warning was indeed overlooked.

“This incident raises a red flag,” said Mr Lord. “Is the DHB saying they do not respect the qualifications of doctors?”

The Health and Disability Commissioner’s report has arrived at the Coroner’s Office and an inquest is yet to be scheduled.

Mr Lord said the Foundation will be paying particular attention to the inquest and findings of the Coroner.

“With ACC costs up significantly over recent years due to avoidable harm, and the Health Quality and Safety Commission reporting increasing incidents of avoidable harm, we may well have an insidious underlying issue that needs to be exposed.

“The Foundation has increased advertising to increase awareness. It has also published health and safety protocols to educate first responders and healthcare professionals, but also to ensure health providers have a policy framework implemented, and to ensure ongoing correct utilisation of the system, in the best interests of health consumers’ health, welfare and safety.”

Mr Lord said when a health consumer puts on an authentic and internationally recognised MedicAlert® Service Supported Medical ID at the recommendation of their GP or a medical specialist, they do not take this lightly.

“They know they have a medical risk and they are taking personal responsibility to manage this risk and protect themselves from harm. With an aging population and pressure on the health system likely to increase, this must be proactively encouraged to minimise avoidable health consumer exposure to the health system.”

Mr Lord said health consumers should be able to trust and have absolute confidence that their local DHB is respecting World Health and World Allergy Organisation protocols and their consumer rights.

“Health consumers should never find they are dealing with a health provider who ignores this internationally recognised, respected, proven and trusted vital patient safety system just because they ‘think’ they know better than the World Health Organisation and World Allergy Organisation.

“Additionally, health providers should never ignore the reasonable expectations of a health consumer and their health practitioner that their authentic MedicAlert® Service Supported Medical ID will be correctly utilised.”

Mr Lord said the MedicAlert® Service is used nationwide and internationally. It’s simple and it works, even in a natural disaster, when the power is out and technology fails.

“If what Laurie Richardson believes he saw is found to be true, the public would have every good reason to expect regulatory change at the highest levels to imbed MedicAlert® National Health and Safety Protocols to protect the health, welfare, safety and rights of all New Zealanders. Such compliance requirements should also be written into Government contracts with Health Providers.

“New Zealanders need to pay particular attention to this case. We are all growing older, as we do, so sickness can have an increasing impact on our capacity to comprehend what we are being told and we increasingly depend of safety systems like MedicAlert® to speak for us.

“If the time comes that I am exposed to a Health Provider and my Medical ID is ignored, I will be complaining to the Health and Disability Commissioner,” said Mr Lord.

ENDS

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