Dr Brych denies board claims

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33654, 2 October 1974, Page 18

Dr Brych denies board claims

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 1. Dr Milan Brych has revealed that he has started treating patients at a second Auckprivate hospital, and that he has letters of referral from 1400 patients throughout New Zealand who want him to treat them for cancer.

He described as “absolutely meaningless” a statement released by the Auckland Hospital Board that said that the number of cancer patients officially approved for treatment by him during the past 10 weeks was 131. The statement issued by the board’s superintendent-in-chief, Dr R. F. Moody, also said that there were 117 patient referrals to Dr Brych in the first five weeks, but only 14 in the second. But Dr Brych said that the statement had failed to explain that an agreement he had had to sign with the board in order to continue treating patients after his dismissal from Auckland Hospital had limited him to using no more than 10 beds at the Auckland Adventist Hospital. “With that number of beds, 130 patients was the absolute maximum I could treat,’’ [Dr Brych said. "A lot of patients had to put off

because I simply could not take responsibility for them.” Dr Brych said that his agreement with the board had allowed him to continue treating approved patients free-of-charge in the Adventist hospital. Now that he had ceased to be an employee of the board he was taking steps to obtain further beds in other private hospitals. The first group of about 10 cancer patients was, in fact, admitted to St Margaret’s Hospital, Epsom, today, Dr Brych revealed. “Later on, I will have to spread patients around other private hospitals,” he said.