Serious consideration was given to delaying the big switchover in Auckland to a new pathology testing provider, but it will be completed as planned.
That's the message from Auckland District Health Board chair Pat Sneddon, who says the risks are manageable.
Labtests took over the $560m contract for pathology testing across the region from Diagnostic Medlab Ltd (DML) four weeks ago. Two of the region's health districts - Counties-Manukau and central Auckland - have switched to Labtests; Waitemata is due to make the change on Monday.
While acknowledging that Labtests' responsiveness to doctors needs to be improved, Mr Sneddon says the issues around safety are being dealt with.
Procare Health, which represents nearly 600 doctors and several hundred practice nurses in Auckland, has said that the changeover should have been delayed while teething problems were ironed out.
Chair Peter Didsbury says patients are waiting too long for tests and doctors have not been receiving urgent results within 24 hours.
