Counties Manukau Health is re-sending appointment letters to East Auckland, Papatoetoe and Otara patients affected by the junior doctors’ strike next week, following the theft of a large amount of mail from a mail distribution centre in East Tamaki.
Counties Manukau Health chief medical officer, Dr Gloria Johnson says the District Health Board (DHB) was made aware on Wednesday that some CMDHB related mail had been affected.
Police are investigating.
The most urgent priority is to re-send letters regarding appointments scheduled or cancelled for next week. However, all other affected correspondence will also be re-sent and affected patients notified of the issue as quickly as possible.
The DHB has also informed the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
“We are very mindful that we had previously given a commitment to ensure that those who have been impacted by the strike will be contacted directly by letter or text, and do not want to add further stress for those who come to their scheduled appointment and find that it has been cancelled due to the strike,” says Dr Johnson.
“It appears the letters affected were designated to East Auckland, Papatoetoe and Otara addresses, so we are working with the contractor, who will collect the repeat letters for appointments and cancellations today and ensure delivery by the weekend.
“People who remain uncertain should feel free to call our toll free number 0800 277 1661 or Healthline on 0800 611 116.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. We will be conducting our own review in relation to this matter and work with police and the contractor as part of this process.”
