A public row has erupted in New Caledonia over the state of the new central public hospital outside Noumea.
The central public hospital, outside Noumea Photo: RNZ Pacific / Walter Zweifel
A union representing hospital staff said services had been severely degraded amid a high turnover of doctors.
In a post, the union said a large number of specialists had quit or been suspended in part because of tension with management, resulting in the silent disappearance of services.
It said services in oncology, dermatology and urology had all but vanished and several specialists listed on the hospital website left long ago.
Management has issued a statement in response, labelling the claims as baseless and defamatory.
It said the hospitals offers 562 beds, has more than 2,200 employees, of whom 200 are doctors, to provide quality care.