Two more executives are set to resign at the crisis hit Canterbury District Health Board, according to the senior doctors' union.
Hundreds of protesters gather outside of the CHB corporate office. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
It follows five high-level resignations at the board's 11 member executive leadership since July, including the chief executive David Meates who is also set to leave his role.
Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said she understood two more resignations were expected be announced today.
It would mean just four members would be left on the executive leadership team.
David Meates resigned earlier this month. Photo: RNZ / Karen Brown
Dalton told Nine to Noon a hostile governance group was a key reason for the resignations.
About 200 doctors and nurses have gathered outside Canterbury District Health Board's office in Christchurch, demanding more transparency as its leadership crisis deepens.
The protesters want the executive members reinstated and board decisions to be made in a more transparent way.
The Chief of Medicine at Christchurch Hospital, David Smyth, said the board was not acting in the interest of staff or patients, amid pressure to reduce its deficit.
He fears staff and service cuts are inevitable if there isn't an intervention.
The DHB appointed an acting chief executive and a temporary back-up chief executive to fill in after Meates' resignation.
Hundreds of protesters gather outside of the CHB corporate office. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon